


Useless Pet

by NadaNoodle



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Underfell, Bullying, Cinnamon roll Asriel, F/M, Female Chara (Undertale), Friendship, Friendship/Love, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kinda, Nice Chara, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Child Abuse, Platonic Relationships, Scary Asgore, Sweet Toriel, Tsundere Asriel, Violence, helpful chara, jerk Asriel, maybe a little kiddie crush, poor Chara, these are kids people don't take their feelings too seriously
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-13
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2018-12-01 20:43:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 37,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11494380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NadaNoodle/pseuds/NadaNoodle
Summary: Chara, an abused child, climbs a mountain considering it her only escape from the cruel reality.But little did she know something far more crueler was waiting for her down the hell hole.Underfell au





	1. Fell

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there and welcome to my useless fanfic! This is my first serious Undertale fanfiction- or simply fanfiction in general- that I had worked on! It's just a random idea that popped up while I was in exams (lol) mostly inspired by this fan design of Underfell Chara, and since the Deemurr children are so underrated in this large AU, I decided to change that ;)
> 
> Before reading, I would like to clarify that this is just fanfiction and nothing is canon, and if you don't like what you read or the ships, kindly leave. And I must say about the clarify the Charasriel ship, it's super platonic and I'm afraid they would barely touch the friendzone, so I recommend sticking around.
> 
> As I want to thank you in advance for considering to stop by~
> 
> Oh! And I want to thank my friend @Emberwished on tumbler for her gracious support, so please check her out! ^^
> 
> Without further rambling, enjoy :)

Long ago , two races ruled over the Earth : HUMANS and MONSTERS.

One day, war broke out between the two races.

After a long battle, the humans were victorious.

They sealed the monsters under a mountain with a magic spell.

...  
....  
.....  
But that is nothing more than a legend, right?

 

Chara stood at the edge of the gaping hole in front of her, Autumn breeze blowing auburn locks away from her face, away from her _eyes_. Staring down the dark abyss, she could practically feel it pulling her towards itself, but amazingly, she quickly avoided falling in, heartbeats starting to race in a frightened pattern, red irises finally focusing on what she had nearly done . _But wasn't that what she was looking for?_

She calmed down a bit, letting her bangs to return to shade her already droopy eyelids. She loosely gripped her right arm, her pale slender fingers sliding from her wrist up to her forearm. _She has to remember, that she was here for a reason_. Without ripping her gaze from the very noticeable pit, she pulled up the ragged sleeve that rest upon the stick she calls "an arm", to reveal a pale white arm with zebra patterned cuts. She caressed them, ignoring the burning stings they left behind, and with every maroon mark she touched , thousands of nightmares rushed through her tear-blurred vision.

Nightmares are basically bad dreams. She _wished_ they were just dreams.

Nose turning red, she sniffled and coughed out a sob she hadn't had since her hazy numb years.

Has my end truly come this quick?

You have no choice.

You _had_ no choice.

You can't continue living like this. After what they had done to you.

After what _you_ had done to them.

You are stained inside, you have nowhere else to go.

You're gone. You can't come back. Even if you do, who do you think will welcome you?

Please. Make this quick and easy.  
Maybe for once in her life, she would finally be free from that heavy load of _guilt_ and _sin_ her back aches from.

And the happy blue sky was just mocking her right now. Her people must be getting ready for a gorgeous day like this, to find the demon girl finally missing.

The problem is that they didn't want her missing.

_That's why I need to do this fast, before they catch up._

Still refusing to lift her head, without hesitation, she headed forward.

_Will anyone else notice my absence?_

Baby footsteps turned into larger ones, she almost seemed as if she was _running_ towards _her one and only escape from her hellish world._

_Will anyone regret their harsh actions only after I vanish?_

She definitely didn't see that foreign tree root sticking out, because if she, did she would've avoided it before tripping. Time suddenly seemed to slow down, everything seemed blurry at the moment, the blue sky, the forest below, and her ears refused to hear no more than her racing heartbeat. And she could've sworn she heard someone call out her name…  
…  
……  
……….  
_Was there finally somebody who actually cares about me?_ Surreal this shimmer of hope was, but even the most wrecked of people even believed in such miracles.  
…  
Who was she to kid? This world is better off without her anyways.

And with that last thought, with those quick flashes of her short life coming across her mind, and with the last waves of tears she has left, she was sucked in the dark abyss.

 _Ah…freedom_.  
…  
…..  
………  
……………….  
………………

It was dark. So dark. Had she succeeded?

Was this the afterlife?

Was she free? Has she finally found happiness? And may she rest?

…

That's beautiful…man…she had never thought that death was _worth it_. And many had feared their heads off because of it.

She had never expected death to be very peaceful, very cold but peaceful at least…and …smells like mushrooms?

_What the freaking hell, the afterlife smells like mushrooms._

Mushrooms for god's sake.

What Chara wasn't expecting was a strike of pain that made wake up to reality, drowning in cold sweat as if she had just witnessed a horrible nightmare and bloodshot eyes. It definitely did the job.

Pain and agony wrapped around her right ankle -the one she tripped with thanks to that awesome root, her neck felt like it just snapped, and an awful headache had just come to her realization. Along with the side of her face smashed against a rough surface-she couldn't make out what it was since that side of her face was currently numb , along with her scrambled senses .

In this state, death sounded much more pleasant.  
As she was finally able to concentrate her senses-most importantly her vision- she took time to scan her surroundings.

Brown was what her eye first screamed, was this place completely dirt? If so, she must be in a natural environment.

Wow. Bravo, Mr. Obvious, you threw yourself in a hole, in a _mountain_. Of course everything's grass and dirt!

There was also a blinding light source that seemed to be on top of her. Using her wimpy hands, she tried to lift her weight off the ground, ignoring the slight stinging pain that crawled her body, turning her head to meet a blinding white circle from above. **The hole she jumped in.**

Only to have that tiny amount of sleeping pain awaken, and earned a sharp shriek from the girl, and fall back to the ground, sobbing.

She really was under the mountain, huh?

But she had noticed something: pillars. Odd, was there some kind of civilization? Did people used to live here? Do they still live here now?

Still live here.  
People.  
Living here.

Y-yes! There's a chance I could be saved from this torture!

Wasn't she hoping…to be erased? Well, she wanted death, not pain.  
Because what she's going through is worse than death.

Taking a deep breath, using her remaining energy, she called out for help.  
…  
…  
…  
She called again.  
…  
And again.  
And again.  
_A n d a g a i n ._  
…  
But nobody came.

She gave up.  
She really did, even with this nagging, small feeling in her chest screaming to her to get up, she pushed aside, not daring to give it any mind. And she fell back to the ground, it's cool soil finding its way in the warm cuts that were on her face.

It didn't matter. She was broken. It'll be a matter of time until she died _for any reason_. It's over.  
She'd just use this time to have some peaceful rest…she hadn't had one since forever.

…  
….  
……...  
. . .  
There was a sound. A sound of distant footsteps. Heavy footsteps. Heavy metal footsteps echoing through the corridor that lay up ahead.

O-Oh dear! That d-doesn't sound human at all!  
Indeed, these steps _made the ground she lay on shake_. Was it possibly a giant?

A giant, HA. You read way too many fantasies.

Well, she must be over reacting, there are many humans with a large body that'll make your jaw drop: like that one villager that moved in a year ago in her town-

_Don't._

She immediately wiped away the thought, and focused on the footsteps- that seemed to have paused- that were coming, as well as trying to ignore the awful mushroom scent that stabbed her nerves. She really hates that stuff, doesn't she?

Metal footsteps…could this man be wearing armor? The thought of a heroic knight surfaced, a brave knight to her rescue. She mentally laughed at that. But thinking again, did this person actually hear her wails of agony…and come to help? If moving wasn't a bother to her sore muscles, she would've excitedly ran towards her savior and surprise them with a hug.

There were voices, _two_ different voices, which means this person _is not alone_. She couldn't make out what they were saying. She was finally about let out a final hurl of help, to let them know she was there, in need of aid-

And then it hit her: what if… they decide to do something _other than rescuing her?_ Would they… _use_ her?

She then ignored all the pain her body was in, it all became numb, and the only thing that she felt was the painful screeches her mind let out, telling her to _do something_.

_T-there's a chance they'll actually help-_

Do you think this is a fairytale?

There are many twisted people in this world.

And you happen to be a weirdo magnet.

_Clink, clank ,clink ,clank, clink, clank_

Whatever discussion they had, they had made up their minds, because they were coming.

To _her_.

_Clink, clank, clink, clank, clink-_

**_Clank._**  
_O-oh god. P-p-play dead_.

It was hard to loosen herself, when lighter footsteps - which almost seemed soundless if it wasn't for the killer silence - started to make their way towards her body. She started to twitch.

_Shit shit shit shit shit, hold yourself!_

The owner of the smaller footsteps came to a pause _right behind her_. She felt a hot breath on her neck growing heavier. That must mean they've knelt down.

Impatiently waiting for any next move, the "person" gave her slightly trembling shoulder a poke, she tried her best not to react to the impact.

Yikes! It was _sharp!_ Doesn't this person cut of their nails?!  
N-no…that was too strong for it to be a nail. A tool? She didn't hear any clattering or any sound to indicate a presence of any tool. Could this mean.. _it could be a claw?_

U-UGH! Stop it with those fantasies! This is reality!

She was cut off her thoughts when she heard a male-no, a boy's voice from behind her speak up.

"Whoa …is that a human?!" they exclaimed.

She must've misheard that, no, she HAD misheard that phrase, they must mean something else-

"Oh shit-it really _is_ a human!"

The universe must be against her.

Eyes open once more, stinging either from upcoming tears or trespassing dust, but it didn't matter. Not now.

She was now panicking, it would be a matter of time until she mentally broke down- not that she's willing to do that around this..this, wait- WHAT can this non-human be? Not human, yes -despite her current state, she mentally face palmed at that- but...  
It was now of all times her imagination had stopped working, probably because of this nightmare that she was in.  
But above all, she was worried on what to do next, how would this go, and many other questions that only later she was able to find out they were pointless. the two strangers have been talking again, the "boy" sounded as if he was giving orders to the "Knight", but she paid no mind listening to whatever discussion they were having once more, because her little mind could not digest the fact she was dealing with anything other than her own being.

She was then startled with a large pair of hands that covered her entire petite waist, and felt the ground getting lower-no, she was getting _higher_.  
Bones cracking, waves of anguish rushing through her delicate form, she then quickly shut her eyes, hoping it would magically soften the pain she was going through, and also to avoid any suspicions that she was awake.  
Her corpse was then carelessly thrown on a cold, metal, if not lumpy, surface(probably a shoulder), as if she was practically a sack of potatoes. The girl forced herself to swallow the "oomph" that was about to escape her lips. And most likely blow up her act.

_O-ow…so this guy really is wearing a metal armor…_

Disturbing silence was met before they started moving. Wherever these… non-humans were taking her will be her fate. And fates are to be accepted. No arguing.  
_Clink, clank, clink, clank, clink, clank…_  
_Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap…_

With her head swinging left and right following the Knight's footstep pattern, and the sound of the metal's clanks, a headache has surfaced her skull, an awful one too. It felt like sewing her skull shut. And her cutting injuries were making her feel worse, god she really wants to sleep now.

 _Sleep_. That sounded wonderful, would she be able to sleep with such pain? She succeeded at that not once, but multiple times, she could do it now.

Just imagine that it's one of _those times_. Yeah, that should do it.

Right before she took off to sleep, she slightly peeled her eyelids for a peek.

A stoned floor with a deep shade of grey, or a bleached black, many different stones, all shapes and sizes, and…a humanoid figure, following from behind.

The second stranger.

The one with the boy's voice.

_The non-human._

They-or _he_ , wore a red sweater with black horizontal stripes, black pants ending with…

Big, furry, white, wolf-like feet.

Before she even made an explanation for what she saw, she finally drifted to deep slumber.  
…  
….  
……  
…………  
She had dreamed of red.

Two reds, actually.

They were similar, but they somehow… were _different_.

Different? How? They're the same shade!

…

With a few groans and shifting in sheets, she was finally awake.

It took a while to wake up after such deep rest, but she then managed to flutter her eyelids open. First thing that came in her senses was warmth, it felt great, like waking up on a lazy sunny Sunday. She didn't want to move _an inch_.  
But she must be forgetting- she was BROUGHT here, if not kidnapped!

Sighing, she started pulling up her arm-which felt like missing for a moment- that was tucked under the thick maroon quilt, bringing it up to her eyes before rubbing them. Her hand went to touch something foreign on her left cheek. Bandage taped on her flesh.  
Then her vision was met with the bare white skin that sliced to the darkness of the room.

_M-my clothes!_

The small girl quickly sat up and peeked from under the covers to be greeted with her usual white tank top and underwear.

Sighing in relief, she then took one more glance at her body-that was surprisingly not aching anymore, to find herself with newly placed bandages on-well, almost everywhere, of course, who could possibly survive such fall without a scratch?  
Cold air had seeped under the quilt and her body responded with a harsh shiver, which made Chara immediately throw the covers back, along with a few adjustments so it would cover her bare shoulders too, and unconsciously rubbing her marked arms while taking a look around since her vision has adapted to the darkness by now.

To her right, was a bourbon nightstand with a lamp on it, beside it was a bowl of water with a dry towel neatly folded beside it. Speaking of water, her throat was as dry as an Arabian desert, but she hesitated on sipping from it. Only god knows where it's been or where it came from.

But she couldn't keep away the thought that whoever had helped her, they're gesture was sweet, they seemed to have taken real good care of her while she was snoring. Nobody has done that to her.

To her left, was a closet with the same dark shade-or what seemed in the dark maroon colored room- as the night stand, a certain measurement further away from the closet was a light colored box containing who knows what.

Before turning back to her right the door facing her slowly creaked as the round door knob turned, she instantly froze.

_W-who could that be? I-I didn't hear any footsteps coming!_

One of your captor's footsteps were light and soft, remember? Or that fall has made you deaf.

As the door pushed forward, letting some light creep from the open gap that was only getting wider as a shadowed figure stepped in.

"Oh! You're awake!" They chirped, their- or _her_ voice, feminine, heavenly…

 _Motherly_.

Light finding its way into the room as the figure pushed the door further in. She had noticed at the very top of the towering figure's head was what seemed to be a pair of horns.

 _"Whoa …is that a human?!"_ The phrase replayed in her memory as the shadow reached out her arm and flicked what could only be a light switch.

She was blinded by the sudden burst of illumination that hit her eyes, but she was quick to cover them with her forearm, with a few blinks, she was adjusted to the new brightness, and let her arm drop.

But then, a soft gasp escaped her lips at what was facing her: a humongous white goat.

A goat. Standing, on two legs, in front of her.

The creature did have goat features, as well as _wolf_ features, like her snout, containing a soft smile with two sharp fangs, and like Chara predicted: two horns topped her head, a pair of big, fluffy dog-like ears covered her round face.  
But what was the most remarkable feature was her eyes, red pupils in a pool of orange-yellow, bordered with long black eyelashes. But her overall expression was somewhat… kind and welcoming.

She wore a black sleeveless dress, on her chest was some kind of small design in red, underneath the gown was a turtleneck the same color as the symbol. Her back, amazingly straight as a board.

_She looked like a high-class lady…_

"And I thought you might never wake up! Oh, I am very grateful you are alright after such a fall." she stated, walking toward the bed Chara lay on. She gently seated herself on the right edge.

Clearing her throat, she began "Now, my child, I must apologize for not introducing myself properly, for I was a bit too concerned for your condition, and quite relieved now", she straightened herself even more, legs crossed and her furry hands lay atop her thighs " I am Toriel, queen of all monsters underground."

Chara almost choked on her own saliva. _Queen? Underground?_  
_M-monsters?!_  
_Child…?_

"Yes, monsters", the so called Toriel replied as if she were reading her mind at the moment " I know you are confused- I accept that, you did seem surprised when I came in…"

So she noticed, whoops.

"…and many questions are probably worrying your very cute head, but first, you may want to listen to this tale so things would clear up a bit."

Chara, sitting there with her mind mentally slapping her to wake up from this dream. She was probably still unconsciously laying on the soiled ground, but…it felt all too real. Oh well, she might as well play along.  
This "world" she was in was better than her old one. So far.  
"Centuries ago, your kind and monsters both lived happily on the surface, they had wonderful memories together, were like brother and sister…" her face went sour "One day though, the humans-out of nowhere- started to show hatred towards us, then followed by a declared war…"

Chara found herself leaning forward to the goat monster's gentle- but stern voice telling her tale. Toriel didn't move an inch, but instead her hands curled into fists. She continued " Lives were lost that day, and in the end, the humans won. As punishment and reflection to our loss, seven human magicians sealed us under a large mountain with a magical spell."

The room went silent then, Toriel seemed a bit sad, but kept her head high-like _royalty_.  
Chara had heard of this tale once, she had passed by an old lady with a group of children, telling them the tale of the awful beasts that once roamed the earth, _devouring_ humans because _they can_. But she never finished the story, for not only the "oh, it's you" looks they glanced at her, but because the errands she had to do, and no time to spare.  
Yeah, at that age.  
Her mind never brought up the story, since she had literally forgot about it, and the lack of books about such tale. So she eventually erased it out of memory.  
Seems like she hadn't completely erased it.  
But the story the woman had told had nothing in common with Toriel's, maybe history's events get changed as it gets passed on, the queen did mention that it happened _centuries ago_.

Her eyes wandered all around the room, it was a bright red color with dark furniture, the box contained mostly wrecked toys, she had spotted a stuffed bunny, lion…and some cars and action figures. Far off to the right, was a desk, piles of paper and random writing tools every were on the surface.  
The red irises darted back to the monster woman, and now that she was closer, that design was more clear, it was more of a symbol, she recognized wings, but the rest were just shapes in a certain pattern.

Toriel broke the silence with a soft sigh and said facing Chara "You see, entering the barrier is quite easy, but leaving is impossible-for now, we are still finding a way to break it. So you will be staying here for a while…" a look of worry has covered her face "this is new for us… and my husband-"

She paused and looked directly into Chara's eyes, who was eager to know her circumstances, before finishing "My, I'm rambling, aren't I? You must be starving after such sleep! Now, I don't know much about humans, but will pie do?"

Toriel surely knew how to treat guests, for she was pretty hungry, and for the first time they've met, Chara forced her dry tongue to speak… but she couldn't.

She was still afraid.

_Coward._

So she simply nodded.

"Delightful! I'm sure you'll love my treat. I'll be back soon!" Toriel finished her sentence by leaning towards Chara and planting a soft kiss on her forehead before eventually getting up, heading towards the exit. Chara felt her cheeks flush a rosy color, she felt welcomed…a-and…

_L-loved._

She was thirsty, she should ask for water.

Mustering up all the courage she had, she croaked "M-ma'am-"  
"Oh please", Toriel turned back to the girl "just call me by my name, goodness, if you feel like calling me mother, I also don't mind!"

She swallowed "Ummm… m-may I have some water t-too?" she couldn't keep her voice steady.

"Why of course! What a sweetheart, I won't make you wait long." and she closed the door behind her.

While she was gone, Chara laid back, still surprisingly exhausted even after her-wait, exactly how long has she been asleep? She made herself a mental note to ask Toriel when she comes back.

Toriel…despite the terrifying features, she looked like a virtual mother, the one she has _dreamed of_. She even couldn't help but replay that warm kiss and the form of her lips saying "my child" every now and then.

She giggled. Wherever she is at this moment, it seemed like heaven to her. She stretched her sore muscles, cracking her joints from immobility. She needs to get out of bed soon.

Say, she did mention a husband, if so, why didn't he come instead? Did she have children? She sure looked like she did-she had a mother's touch!

A knock interrupted her thoughts, and Toriel entered the room with a tray. Coming closer, she unfolded the tray marvelously without knocking down the items on top, into… _a bed tray_.  
Her inner child clapped in amuse while Toriel gave her cute reaction a pleasant smile. As promised, she had brought pie and a tall, large glass of water.

 _W-water…_  
Without hesitation, grabbed the glass and treated her deserted tongue with several large gulps.

"Careful my dear! Not only you will lose your appetite, but you'll also-"

Toriel's warning was cut off by the girl's choked coughs, she hurried by her side, holding her. _She's not sure of what to do because her inexperience with humans._ But Chara's coughs died down, which was awarded with a sigh of relief from both the monster and human. Chara turned to Toriel, and with a weak smile she stated "I'm…fine, really."

Toriel let out a heartily chuckle, which made Chara's heart race.

_You're amazing_

"Now eat." she ordered "The pie would taste better when warm." she gave a kind smile.

_You're so nice_

Chara nodded, and looked down at steaming quiche on her plate.

_You're caring_

Toriel sat back down on the bed across Chara as she gripped the fork and dipped it in the soft surface of her food.

_You're perfect_

Finally having the bite size piece on her fork, she blew on the food a bit before placing in her mouth as Toriel watched eagerly.  
…  
She slowly chewed on it, letting it flow in her taste buds. Her face suddenly scrunched up.

It was…  
…  
…  
_Indescribable._

…

_Okay, your pie isn't perfect, but you are all that I have dreamed of, even if we just met._

"Ah!, you must have loved my original snail pie, haven't you?" Toriel said, happiness overflowing.

Not wanting to hurt her feelings- and probably not wanting her change her mind of aiding her anymore- she swallowed and said "Unique. I never had anything like this b-before, definitely original."

If she thought Toriel's eyes were wide, well, they only got wider.  
"Oh my, I'm so flattered! I think I'll enjoy your accompany more than I accepted…" her voice died down, and so as her grimace.

_Oh no, don't be sad…_

Chara silently continued eting the slime-filled quiche. At least she didn't give mushrooms, she hated the stuff.

"You know", Toriel started "as much as I am happy to have you here…"

…

 

"…my husband is not that satisfied."

Chara put her fork down.

"I don't mean to offend you, but my spouse does have a certain…detestation toward your kind." she gripped her left arm tightly "…and if it wasn't for my convincing, you would have been…"

She didn't need to finish, Chara knew all too well what she meant. In other words, her life was at risk. Seems like this place isn't paradise after all.

Her luck was very suspicious anyways.

"And may I add…this…may be a bit disturbing…"

 _Oh god, what now?!_  
"…my son, has overcome a certain interest in you, he was the one who found you in the first place…"

S-so…she was found by the prince?!

The armored man? Or that…boy.

His poke felt like a claw…like Toriel 's hands…

"…and he states that he has first priority in…possessing you."

_No…_

"Now nothing has yet been official…"

_N-no no…_

"…but in your current circumstance…"

_No no no no no no…_

"… he may be your only escape"

_N o t a g a i n_

Chara continued to eat, every strand of hope had been shredded. Even in a world of monsters…she wasn't excepted. Her face cold, bobbed down to only face the now cold meal, unable to taste only misery. Toriel explained that she'll be meeting the king tomorrow, so she'll bathe and let her borrow her son's clothes, Chara simply nodded.

After finishing and telling her she was still exhausted, Toriel took the used dishes -and the unused water bowl- and bid her goodnight.

But Chara wasn't tired at all, she simply lay in bed, tucked beneath the quilt, thinking. What now?

…  
……  
………  
…  
Run.  
She should run away.  
But where?  
This is an underground kingdom with no exits, they will find you.

She threw off the covers and sat at the bed's edge, ignoring the sudden cold the pricked at her skin making goose bumps appear. She was _sick_ of that bed. She then pushed herself off the bed, wanting to _just move around_ , but instead her legs failed her, for a certain twisted ankle she hadn't noticed has just proved it presence.  
_S-shit_

Holding back a cry, she slipped back to her bed, with lots of struggling, of course. And after some silent cursing, she finally went to sleep.  
…  
…  
…  
…and she had dreamt of red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	2. Feared

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting ready to meet the Mountain King

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this!? Another chapter? Why yes, my dear friend, I managed to finish chapter two with ease *cough cough* anyways, I deeply apologize for the delay ( even though I'm still amazed how I managed to finish it this quickly :/)  
> But here it is! Fresh from the oven! I intended to make this chapter a bit more eventful with reaching to the Asriel and Chara action...but it got waaaay too long! So I had to cut it short :( then again, it will give me more time to think of a better quality scene for the next chapter! ^u^
> 
> And THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! For all the hits and kudos! It really filled me with DETERMINATION!!
> 
> Anyways and as always, enjoy :)

Chara woke up from the slumber by soft patting on her shoulder, actually, she woke up way before that, after hearing the door knob turn; but she continued the act until the intruder came in and started shaking her awake. It was rude to call this person an intruder though, because this was this person's house, _and she was sleeping in it._

_Toriel._

"Wake up, my dear. I believe it's about time to get ready." she whispered.

The girl groaned, letting the woman-the _queen_ , that she's up; contact pausing, Chara waited for the goat woman to leave, _but she was waiting for her._  
Taking a deep breath, she lifted her weight off the mattress, using her arms as pillars. She brought her hand to her eyes and rubbed them, then finally turned to Toriel, who had some large cloth tucked in her arm.

"Good morning, my child," Chara trembled slightly at her greeting, she had felt attached to this woman since their first meeting yesterday, how was that? She was unable to get along with literally _anybody_ "I suppose you will be needing this to move around, I mean, it might be odd to walk in those garments…and cold." Toriel spoke as she handed Chara a silk bed robe that was hidden in her arm. Adjusting herself in a sitting position, she took a minute to admire luxurious fabric, _w-wow!_ It was so _soft_ , so…  
She immediately-and _selfishly_ \- saw herself as a _princess_ in one of these. All little girls dream to be the fair princess one day, having maids and butlers serving them their favorite desserts by just a soft "ring" of their golden bell. Wearing the most expensive of dresses there was just to _show off_ how pretty they were. It was something that makes every lower-class citizen drool-even the most kindest and satisfied person won't say no to the luxury life.

Snapping back to reality, she slipped her arms in the slippery sleeves as Toriel spoke "I'll accompany you to the bathroom…do you happen to need any help while bathing?"  
After she finished the knot around her waist, she turned to face the former _queen_ and shook her head "no". Toriel nodded in reply, kindly respecting her choice of privacy. She extended her furry arm out to the slim girl, waiting for her to accept it, but Chara pretended to not notice and made her way out the warm bed.

_This woman has done nothing but be kind to you, so why treat her like this? It's not her fault for what's coming, you could at least repay her gentleness with a little sympathy and benevolence too._

She placed her bare feet on the cold wooden floor, she pushed herself off the mattress once she felt ready, only to _collapse_ as a result, which made Toriel gasp and hurry to the fallen girl.

_Stupid ankle_

Her ribcage had smashed with the hard floor, making a good amount of oxygen escape her small lungs, but returned with a sharp intake of breath.

"O-oh dear lord, are you alright?! I-I…" the woman panicked, but stopped with the human's weak reassurance. She hesitantly extended her hand again. Chara didn't make the same mistake, and took her soft palm and gave it gentle squeeze as she slowly stood up, trying her best not to use the aching foot too much, it wasn't much help anyways.

After finally succeeding to stand on her own-well, not exactly though, the huge woman was there for support most of the time- Toriel promised to look for something she could use while her ankle heals, then made their way out the room.

She was clinging onto the monster as if she was her only hope, and a new area has made its way to Chara's vision.

She was stunned by the open hallway and its shades of grey; the walls were in a cool gray wallpaper, making the wide passage seem _wider_ , but that's not all, for silver designs decorated the pale colored wall; halfway though cut a white wall border, separating the light grey from the darker one beneath the line. However, the wooden floor was a much warmer grey, and the same design continued but with a darker silver, matching its background. Despite this particular shade being a symbol of sorrow and dullness, it was a very beautiful combination.  
But the grey themed room was lightened with the black furniture- small cabinetry and a mirror that hung horizontally on the wall, a red runner rug with golden trimmings bordering it. And what stood out the most, _were the large golden flowers, decorating almost every corner._ Chara's mouth almost dropped a the simple, yet stunning home this monster lives in.

…lives with her _family_.

 _There are more members in this house_.

And you're going to _live_ with them now.

Toriel guided her to a door that was surprisingly right next to the room she came out from. With her jumping on one leg, trying her best to avoid using the other, and Toriel's hands led her, 'till they finally reached to the grey door.

Toriel turned the door knob then pushed the wooden entrance open, and a massive bathroom was revealed. Entering, the wooden floor had disappeared and a pearl white tiled one was welcomed, the light grey walls were decorated with flowers in a darker shade.  
To her right was a bathroom counter, a marble vanity top with a pit for a sink; topping that was a large mirror, she took a glance at her reflection… the horror! A monster looked back!

Yikes…she looked horrible…

Next to the black furniture was a ceramic toilet.  
To her left was a hanger, red bathrobes hung neatly, and some shelves carrying some towels. But the dazzling view was up ahead. A white, cozy bathtub was at the very end of the room, two extra walls at each of its ends sandwiching the tub, and connecting at the very top with the ceiling, covering the tub as a roof.  
As if the bathtub was so important it was sheltered in another room  
Chara would've jumped in excitement if it weren't for her incapability at the moment, and Toriel must've seen her, because she had let out a heartily chuckle and said " I prepared a hot bath before you before you waking you up, the water contains some herbs to reduce the pain and probably heal your injuries too, including your ankle."

It was true, she _did_ smell the herb's aroma coming from the tub. Sitting at the ceramic edge, she removed the robe, revealing her patched body, and handed it to Toriel, who hung it on one of the hooks of the hanger. Looking down at the steaming water, she had noticed it's odd but beautiful green color, she lowered her hand until it was barely touching the water. _Hot, just perfect._

The woman came back to where Chara sat and knelt down, then started to remove every bandage she had, telling her that she'll cover them anew once she's done bathing.  
She then showed her a few soaps she may use, and allowed her to use any of the towels.

"Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything, my child." she called before closing the door behind her, and left the girl in the fancy bathroom alone.

She looked at her revealed cuts and bruises, new _and_ old, then to the hot bath. _Would they sting?_  
…  
She got up on her good foot, jumping on it and using ant solid object that came in her touch as support, until she reached the mirror.  
placing both hands on the cold marble surface for balance and letting the sore foot rest on the floor, she stared at her reflection, giving her features a good scan. Her hair, looked like it went through war, it had never looked neat, but the awfully old oily scent had finally reached her nerves. It was about time her hair got some good treatment. Her skin was dirt-coated as hell, even changing her fair white complexion into a dull one, while the side of her face had some scratches.

You fell on that side, remember?

Her eyes had bags followed beneath them, hadn't she had enough sleep? She still wished to go back to bed though.  
Then, her eyes locked into the clone's. Red irises stared back at her own, and despite the hair that shadowed the upper area of her face, _the red lights sliced through the black cover._  
She blinked. The clone blinked too. She blinked twice. So did the clone. Anger boiling inside of her, she snarled "What are _you_ looking at?"

…

The duplicate didn't respond though, it only sighed and dropped its head down, not looking back to the mirror.

Lifting her weak hand, she rubbed her eyes, feeling some warm tears trickle down her face, but she was quick to wipe it away before it reached her cheek.

She made her way back to the tub, sitting on its edge again, and removed her attire, then tossing the two fabrics across the room.

Testing the water with her foot, she at last entered the water.

And she was _melting_ with the warm pleasure surrounding each corner of her aching form, letting out a shaky sigh, she let her anxiety wash away, and let her mind focus on the cozy aroma of the herbs cradle her to paradise. She had never imagined having a proper bath like this, she literally- _barely_ bathed _at all_. But here she was, feeling like a princess, in a fancy bath, in a nice castle…

A castle that belonged to a monster king, that is. And a monster _that's going to keep you here._

Like before.

She groaned in frustration, _why_ does this always happen to her?! Was she inevitable to bad luck?  
A prince, that saved her and now wants to own her. As romantic as it sounds, this wasn't a fairytale, it's not ending well. What the bloody hell does this guy want from her?!

Actually, who was the prince? There were _two_ "saviors", one was that… _monster_ who poked her, hard; and the other was the one in _armor._  
In her point of view, an armored man sounded more prince-like than a curious brat that just poked her, yet again, the armored one might've been some guard or something.  
She did sleep in a room that had a _toy box_.

A freaking toy box!

_M-maybe the prince had a younger sibling…or a child! Yeah, there a-are many possibilities!_

…

…

Or that could be a dead child's room.

Chara got sick and dizzy of worrying her head and focused on getting rid of the dirt. Choosing a bar of soap, she started washing her filthy hair, washing out the dust until its texture was no longer a heavy, oily one, but more lighter and silky soft, revealing her hair's true colors.  
Her skin was scrubbed with a wash cloth given by Toriel, she rubbed her flesh until it reddened and burned with the hot water that has turned darker.  
But the results were worth it, not only was she squeaky clean, but the pain has lessened, mentally and physically. She should really thank Toriel later.  
Rinsing the soap off her and letting the water drain (after figuring out how to, of course) , she stepped out -quite amazed that her foot doesn't hurt as much as before, still stings and couldn't quite rely on it, but better! What magical herb did Toriel use!?

She reached out to one of the bathrobes, one that seemed to match her small size, and ended with a red robe, quite baggy, but it sure fits better than the other large ones. She then walked back to the mirror, ignoring the light twinge her ankle signaled.

She looked at the new duplicate, it looked somewhat human, at least.  
Wet auburn locks barely reaching the slouched shoulders, the locks covered the ears and the bangs hid most of the higher part of the face, leaving some gaps for seeing. Her face, glowing yet still _pale_ , and it seems some of the cuts had started bleeding again.

Tucked in the warm, fluffy robe, she walked to the door, ready to call Toriel as instructed.

She knocked softly on the wooden surface before calling out "…Toriel..I-I'm done…"

…

"Toriel?" she called out again.

After some waiting, she decided to go out, and so, she turned the door knob. But to her surprise, the woman stood in front of her, her hand stretched out a bit, as if she was about to open the door.

"Ah… I heard your call and was coming to fetch you!" she said and smiled sheepishly "I got you this cane to help you walk whilst your ankle fully recovers" she explained, handing to Chara a wooden cane. She accepted it along with the generously extended hand, and she was taken back to the red room.

Seated on the made bed with the cane leaning on the nightstand, Chara watched Toriel bring a box filled with the promised bandages, and started covering her up, observing every movement while water droplets trickled from the tips of her hair to her collarbone; this time though, the bandages weren't as heavy, for instance, the previous thick cloth that covered her cheek had been replaced with a large, square shaped band-aid, which was much more pleasant than having one side of her face heavier than the other.

Toriel got up after finishing, and headed towards the closet whilst Chara cuddled in the fluffy robe, caressing it's warm cloth. Her moist body had suddenly dried up quickly, leaving slightly damp locks. _How much time has passed...?_

After some shuffling sounds, Toriel came back with a red sweater and brown shorts and placed them on the bed before saying "Now you wait here to dry, my child, while take care of your clothes. I'll be back soon" and she took off.

Chara playfully kicked her legs during her wait, not knowing what to do. She had taken a look at the neatly folded clothes, which were a red sweater with a wide, horizontal, black stripe in the middle, and a pair of brown shorts. She had scanned the room _twice_ from her seat, and what really caught her attention was that messy desk from what she could make out, plenty of open notebooks spread across it's wooden surface, all had writings and drawings scribbled on them, then some loose papers scattered on the façade, and many stationary tools. Beneath the furniture was simply a trash bin, crumbled paper inside it and some outside, as if they were meant to be thrown in the bin, but missed instead, and then forgotten, so they lay there carelessly.

 _That seems relatable_.

Next to the basket, was a box. That's it. A black box, that holds who knows what- except for its _owner_. She would've got up, and observed more closely, but why peep at what's not yours? It's called privacy, and it should be respected.

She was now _boiling_ in the bathrobe, completely dry now, and when she was about to let out a sigh of frustration, Toriel came in with more items between her arms.

_Great timing_

"I washed and dried your clothes," her soft voice informed "I thought you might prefer wearing your own undergarments instead of borrowing some…'unsuitable' ones." she placed her recognizable clothes beside her. _They smelled so nice_.

"I also brought your shoes, they seemed a bit worn out, so I sent them to be fixed, here," she handed Chara her once ruined brown shoes, they were indeed fixed, they were _new_. Forgetting the irritating heat, her lips curled into a smile, her eyes about to spill warm tears, nose sniffling. Collecting herself, she faced the kind woman, the smile still painted on her face "Thank you, for everything you've done to me. I-I must've been a huge bother…haven't I?" she thanked.

Toriel's eyebrows raised up showing surprise, but then faltered with a few blinks before saying "No, no, not ever! You were never a bother! In fact, I love children…I guess it might be called a hobby…as a few of my friends had pointed out that I was a great babysitter, I think I would love to quit being a queen, and open a daycare instead!" she laughed at her statement, and Chara's smile widened "If it weren't for me having a nice family, a family that loves me, and _needs_ me, I would've done so."

A queen that wants to quit…to babysit? Now that was new. She heard of princesses running away for love, but not for kids! She must really have a big heart. And those types of queens are usually the fairest, in Chara's opinion.

 

"Anyways, I decided to give you some of my son's clothes, since yours got ruined during the fall, I apologize if they're too big. And I got you a brush to comb your hair." she handed her a pastel pink comb-the last item she held.

"I'll leave you alone for now." she lastly said, her smile began to waver, making it more of a _sad smile_. And she then left.

_That look. She knows what's coming next. She knows I won't be alright._

Because you're meeting _the king_.

_But the king might be as kind as her…_

…

_…is he?_

Sighing, she started putting on her own clothes, and after slipping on the second sock, she looked at the clothes Toriel gave her.

They belonged to her son. _The prince._

 _They seem awfully familiar. These color combinations_.

A few moments of hesitation passed before she eventually put the foreign attire, letting it rest upon her skin. They were alright despite being a bit baggy. Could this prince possibly be around her age? Having someone her age as her master was not pleasing, _at all._

Shoes slipped on, she grabbed the comb and started working on her hair, passing it through its knotted strands, untangling it regardless of the pain and struggle it caused her, and after a few moments of cursing under her breath, she was finally done. She let out a huff of relief and victory before grabbing the cane and heading towards the door.  
Facing the door, she took a deep breath and grabbed the round doorknob, hesitantly turned it, and pushed it open.

She was met with the previously introduced hallway, the silver patterns gleaming. She walked over to the rectangular mirror that hung at the very end; using the wooden staff as a supportive third foot, although she really didn't need it since her foot doesn't ache as much as before thanks to that…"magical bath", but she thought it was cool to have, and be fun to swing when she was bored.

Besides, she's been through worse.

Looking at her reflection one last time, she smoothed her hair using her free hand, making it almost hide her ears, then moved to her front hair, adjusting its locks so they fall over her face. Looking again at her masterpiece, she nodded in approval and took off to…where? She didn't know the house except for the room she stayed in and the bathroom, guess she'll have to explore. Toriel couldn't be far.

As she walked down the passage, sometimes forgetting to use the staff and drags it instead, she reached a new section, not that impressive, if she may complain. The patterned wall still continued what she assumed the whole house, a staircase leading to -obviously- downstairs, turning her head left was a petit passage ending with a door. And that's it, there was no place left to go other than forwards, and so she did, and ended up in a living room.

Peeking from the entryway, she spotted Toriel sitting on an ottoman, a book between her hands. A fireplace next to her, and another couch in front, facing its flames; a large bookcase filled with colorful bindings. To the far left corner of the room was a dining table with three chairs, a vase of the magnificent golden buttercups in it, and lastly, another entrance to who knows where.

And the only sounds were the soft crackles of the fire, and the flipping pages.  
And when she was too busy wondering whether or not to approach the woman, and what she would say if she did, her cane had slipped from the tips of her fingers.

Toriel jerked her head up hearing the loud "clack". _Oh god that was so loud and the room's so quiet!_ Chara panicked.

"My child…?" the woman called out.

Embarrassed, Chara crawled out from her hiding spot, the staff gripped tightly in her hand. She felt a twinge of guilt build up, as if she was eavesdropping.

Getting up, she walked towards Toriel, stopping a few feet from her. The monster queen watched her carefully as she approached saying "You're not hurt, are you? Must say you are clumsy."

Clumsy? She sure got the right person.

Chara shook her head, a few moments of silence passed before Toriel gestured her to have a seat on the couch and spoke.

"You'll be meeting the king soon, and…I won't hide anything from you, you are intelligent, I'm sure of it," she sighed "as I mentioned before, he, _Asgore_ , is not keen to humanity, and if it wasn't for my pleading to show mercy for this soul, for this _child_ who has nothing to do with us monsters…" Chara swallowed, clutching at the cane's handle that stand between her legs "…but the sole reason he let you go was my son… _Asriel_."

Breathing in, she continued, voice stern "I was against this Idea of his, but somehow, he actually convinced Asgore, I know nothing of what he had told him, but he…accepted Asriel's secret offer. You might say it's a father and son thing…which made no sense whatsoever. Keeping you as a pet was an awful decision."

Chara had literally choked at those words. _Pet!? Who keeps a kid as a pet!? Unless it's another term for "slave". Either way, both are not good news._

"I know, but please listen- you'll have to act along, let things be, while I try to settle things with my husband, but for now…"

…

"…you should be thankful that you're still _alive_."  
The way she said that last phrase sounded quite bitter, which made the girl shiver. Toriel got up and walked over to where she sat and knelt down, her furry hands over Chara's borrowed sweater, fixing it and adjusting it over her shoulders, once she was done, her furry palm was placed on the human's cheek, saying "It's time, worry not, all he'll do is talk and ask a few questions, there's nothing more for you to do than answer honestly." she finished by tucking the auburn hair behind Chara's ear and a soft kiss on her forehead. She got up, gently holding the girl's hand motioning her to get up and follow, and right before she did, her hand crawled up to her ear and unhooked the locks that lay behind her ear, letting the strands return to flop on her face.

Hand in the larger one, Toriel led her out the living room, to the staircase, neither of them making a sound as they went down the steps into a large, plain passageway. A long one too.

It seemed like forever, as if they were lost in the Arabian Sahara. Everything was plain, there was nothing to look at, except for the cold air that filled the place, which made her cling to the warm Toriel. The cane's taps was the only thing killing the deadly silence.

The passage wasn't straight though, there were a few turns here and there, but what changed was the last straight hall.  
A view, of a _whole city_ merged to sight, Chara's eyes widened in admiration.

_Do that many monsters live here? Are there more?_

Toriel didn't rip her gaze from her destination to see the overwhelmed girl though, who secretly wished to stop and take a good look.

 

But the tour came to an end, as a orange-gold checkered room, a number of pillars holding the ceiling, as well as plenty of large windows that let in some soft illumination showing of the sparkly floor; and back to the windows…they had a symbol on them…a symbol that looks like the one on Toriel's dress…?  
Their footsteps echoed through the corridor, reaching another entrance, the same symbol carved atop its frame.

"We are here." Toriel finally said after the boring quiet.

Chara swallowed.

This is it. Your final fate lays here.

_T-Toriel said that it's just a simple talk, nothing m-more…_

You believe that, do you?

Her heart pounded. Anxiety blinding her, her form stiffened and clutched at the hand, her only reminder of reality.  
The paled girl looked up at Toriel one last time.

And they entered.

…

A garden of green and yellow met her vision first, and the familiar scent of golden flora filled her nostrils; her eyes trailed from the ground to land on the creature that assembled with the throne like a perfect match.

If she thought Toriel was huge, well, the word "huge" would seem like an insult to this guy.

He was more than just huge, a massive goat monster like Toriel, but his shoulders built up to be wide and sharp-edged. A red cape was hung loosely over his silver armored body, Golden shoulder pads decorated and showed off his mighty reputation, hands clutching each side of the holy throne's armrests. His beard crow black, and his crown topping his head, _a reminder of who he is, and who you are_. And his eyes, similar to Toriel's but different, the same red iris floating a pool of yellow-orange; but _narrow-sharp_ , gazing from the towering thrown, down to what's beneath him.

And in this case, it was Chara. And being closer to him only made it worse-his eyes fixed on her, like he was going to _devour_ her any moment now.  
And that gaze, she knew all well, it was a replacement for "you're not welcomed here". She got that a lot during her life.

And she was too busy staring with fear-filled eyes to notice the second figure that stood beside the _Mountain King._  
A similar goat monster, smaller than the two, but definitely bigger than her. This must be Asriel she bluntly thought. He wasn't dressed as fancy as the king though, a red and black striped sweater along with black pants and bare…feet- _h-hey! This guy…I know him! He-he…_

About time you figured that out-wasn't it obvious from the start?

Sharing his father's narrow eyes, some small white "front hair" (can she really call it that…?) hung loosely, it's sharp tips slightly tinted with black.  
He stood cross-armed, a confident smirk carved on his face, showy fangs bared.

Toriel slowly let go of Chara's hand. _No no no don't leave me here with this- he'll crush me so easily and make me into pie he'll feast tonight along with a side dish of snails oh god please Toriel SAVE.ME._

He slightly shifted. Every movement echoed in the silent room. Every movement sent a chill down her spine.

Asriel watched his father, his eyes read excitement.

And a deep voice, powered and firm escaped the giant.

" H u m a n . . ."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Asgore you creep... why can't you be a goofball like UT!Asgore?
> 
> Anyways, hope you liked this chapter and stick around for more- 'cause OH BOI Asriel time's coming!
> 
> My Tumblr for updates, questions, sneak-peeks, and me X) https://www.tumblr.com/blog/nada-noodle
> 
> Comments are more than welcome!


	3. Feeble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything's fine until something goes wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyyyy, how's it going y'all? Got you guys a VERY nice chapter here...RELISH FREE! 
> 
> *throws chapter in your face and runs* 
> 
> Enjoy!  
> ...*comes back* and don't forget to follow me on Tumblr! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/nada-noodle

His voice was groundbreaking, a deep voice rumbling from his chest, and at last exiting his snout. Her bloodshot eyes only widened in horror, his tone only made the king even more terrifying than first sight. She is _so_ ready to piss in her pants right now.

Chara's eye's were completely fixed on the large monster in front of her, his calm features only made her unease grow, her nails almost dug in the wood of the staff.

 

"Salutation," Asgore began, his visage read no expression "I am Asgore Dreemurr, the former king of the Underground." he huffed " The underground, which you _humans_ locked us in. I assume you are aware of that?"

 

As soon as she heard his questioning tone she immediately nodded "Y-yes." she said, her voice barely heard. The way he spoke the word "humans" had such pressure on it.

 

Asriel, on the other hand, let out a soft chuckle as he leaned on the golden throne, eyes on the trembling human that's trying to keep herself together, but Chara paid no mind to the smallest monster, as for her concerns were on getting through this "discussion" and live her life as a slave once more.

 

_Until Toriel finds a solution to this mess_

Asgore grunted and nodded his head. "And tell me, do you think…that a bird, taken away from its nest, and forced in a cage…would ever show sympathy to its captor?"

 

She knew where this was going, she knew the king was waiting for a certain answer, one, and _only_ one answer "No…"

 

_That should please him. Say what he wants to hear. If that doesn't do then I don't know what will._

 

A good moment of silence passed, Toriel let a quick and soft sigh, as if not wanting to be heard. The king's claws started to dig in the armrests of the mighty throne as he leaned forward "What is your purpose in coming here?" it sounded more of an order than a question. So what should she tell him? Tell him she came here to die- he would be more than happy to end her right where she stood.

Her thoughts drifted to Toriel. She didn't want her to know…why make her worry?

 

She probably has seen those scars, stupid. Why hide it now?

 

She could say it was an accident, it wasn't _lying_ , she tripped. That's the truth…

But it didn't answer _why._

Her eyes drooped down, then she slightly turned her head to have a glimpse of Toriel standing a few feet behind her, then back to the king.

 

_A little something pushed her forward. It told her it'll be alright._

 

"Well?" Asgore growled, his patience drained out.

 

Taking a deep breath, she answered, head slightly lifted.

 

"I tripped." she said directly "I-I tripped and fell here."

 

"Tripped, you say?" he asked suspiciously. _What does this guy think I'll do?! He sure is a doubter!_ "You come up a cursed mountain, and just _trip?_ "

 

"Not everyone knows a-about the legend!" her voice rose up a bit, echoing through the wide area "Myself included. I-I heard it from Tori- _queen_ Toriel." she quickly corrected.

 

The Monster king's eyebrows furrowed, looking down at the girl, who's looking around the room, fidgeting and clasping at the cane. A loud yawn escaped from beside the throne. Toriel quickly placed her index finger upon the lower part of her strict face, gesturing her son to be quiet; while Asriel stared at her with a half-lidded gaze, and simply shrugged in response.

 

"How may we address you?" he questioned, leaning back to his original position, but removing his claws from the armrests and entwined his fingers together, elbows still resting on the solid mass.

 

She swallowed and blinked a few times before answering "Chara."

Asgore arched a furry brow at her response .

 

"Chara…" he repeated in a whisper, as if he was getting used to its pronunciation-although it's quite simple and easy.

 

He closed his eyes for a while and breathed in. Chara's eyes twitched in impatience. _What now?_ Her eyes wandered a bit, and landed on a certain pair.

Her red irises seemed to be locked on Asriel's narrow one's, how'd they ended staring at each other was nothing more than coincidence. Her heart instantly jumped in contact, time for some reason froze and left her in the warm atmosphere, he was surprised as well, they shared a few blinks before his visage shifted into a sly smirk. She was quick to act too and turned away before things got weird, and from the corner of her eye, she could see him chuckle at her reaction.

 

She was brought back to reality when Asgore began to speak again.

 

"I would like to make it clear that our decision to keep you here is not a symbol of acceptance, but a symbol of _property,_ " he declared "mankind is nothing more than a renegade to us, insulting our intelligence, humiliating our abilities. And so _are you._ " he barked.

Chara only grew more terrified as his voice got louder, booming through the throne room.

"You do not know the feeling…of being trapped by a _disgusting, scrawny race._ " he huffed "You, human, are nothing but a _burden_ to our kind. And as for your stay…"

 

Chara eyes stung with hot tears she was fighting back, along with the unstopping sniffles.

C-come on! You're used to this! This guy just wants to play king and scare the hell out of you! You can't-

 

_M-make him s-stop…p-please…_

-let yourself fall for his insults! He's guilt-tripping you, he just wants you to feel bad…

 

_Ma-make it stop alread-dy…_

…

 

Her throat had a painful lump now, her tears finally got the best of her, and shaky breathes escaped from her chest.

Toriel had stiffened from this sight, or at least what Chara assumed since she remained behind her the whole time.

 

"…you are to be my son's subordinate, not only because he has top priority, for the reason that he _is_ your savior, and you have nothing else to repay him with other than sacrificing yourself to be under his command…but to show you YOUR place among us monsters."

 

A foreign yet recognized voice barged in " AND because my birthday present literally _sucks_ , so that makes up for my lousy gift." Asriel said proudly.

 

The king let out a tired sigh, putting his large hand on his temples before muttering " _Asriel."_ he closed his eyes "We have talked about this." he then growled.

 

"Hey, I have a say too!" he at last shifted from his previous position by uncrossing his arms, and used his thumb to point at himself "I _am_ the prince, after all."

 

"Asriel Dreemurr!" Toriel, for the first time spoke. More like scolded at the prince's misbehavior, all while Chara stood there with her tear dried face, looking back and forth at the goat family's conversation.

 

Asriel stopped to look at his mother, then turned his head sideways in disappointment grumbling "whatever".

 

_So…THIS is the guy who's owning me?! He's so immature!_

"As I was saying," Asgore pushed his heavy body off the throne to stand on his feet, and continued, hands behind his back, revealing the armor that he wore beneath the cape "you are to be his subordinate, you are to follow every command he gives you _precisely,_ you do not disobey him, you do not upset him…" he stepped forward with every word he spoke, making Chara's heart beat loudly with every step he makes. _And he was now in front of her, towering her puny form._

He bent down, his back still straight and hands still cuffed behind him; Chara tried her best resisting to inch back, _away from this beast._ His breath all over her small face. Her eyes forced to stare right into his fiery ones, the black of his pupil barely seen with red slit for an iris, and the scarlet almost _blended_ with the golden ochre whirlpool ; they looked like they were staring right through her _soul,_ stabbing the frail thing. If it ever _was_ a thing, that is.

 

"…and you are to NEVER lay a finger on him, or there will be consequences, do you understand me, human?" he shouted in her face, getting her share of the air blast. She sure understood him all too clearly, why would she even do something to that _prince_ anyways? His name screamed "do not touch" for god's sake! And why would he even think a wimp like her would touch the son of a mighty beast king? She couldn't even _talk_ to the other kids in her village without getting hit or scold at.

 

If they even dared to walk near her, that is.

 

But with being face to face with the king - _literally-_ she couldn't really respond, drowning in fear and horror, in fact, the only movement her body allowed was a quivering lower lip. She mentally crossed fingers, hoping that the king would understand how terrifying he was.

 

Apparently, he didn't, because from the sound of his deep scowl-

 

_She knew what was coming next._

His large hand was swapped from its original position to snatch her hair, his claws almost digging her scalp, or were they? She didn't know. It happened so fast, she didn't have time to process the events. A sharp shriek roughly escaped her throat, leaving its insides feel ripped and torn, her hands quickly grasped at the furry block that was pulling her back and forth, or was it her trying to flee from the deadly grip? She couldn't tell anymore.

"ANSWER me, human! You DARE disrespect the Mountain King!?"

Desperate cries of apologies were heard clearly throughout the room, even Toriel slightly trembled, while Asriel only perked his head up when his father shouted, then returned to his last pose. Her cries got worse as he tightened his grip on her hair, they got so bad that these apologies now sounded like gibberish nonsense, causing her to bite her tongue in process. Her mouth's blood and saliva trickled all over her jaw, some hair attached to the blood and made a hairy mess on the side of her face;she even gurgled and coughed at the liquids clogging her gorge.

 

Asgore, after he got disgusted by the chaos the human _made_ , finally let go, letting the human crumple to the ground, gasping harshly for the air she had lost.

He looked at the loose strands of hair that stuck between his fingers (his claws also had a small hint of blood on them) then straight to his wife's terrified visage, her soft hand over her mouth, as if she was holding a scream, or vomit. He squirmed his fingers in a manner that got rid of the strings of _Chara's hair,_ allowing them to fall in front of the shivering girl, all that, with his unused hand _still behind his back_. Her eyes followed them until they hit the ground, and still burned her gaze on them, an excuse to not face anyone.

 

The king's footsteps passed her, saying something to Toriel about bringing the maid to clean some mess and asked whether the "official outfit" is done or not. She simply didn't bother to listen, for her head still aching, heart still pounding, and tears still running.

Her hand went up to her head, she touched the soft spot, making her add a wince with her sobs, but she tried again, much slower this time, until she had covered her new wound with the palm of her hand. _Her only source of care and support._

 

The heavy footsteps eventually left, making the queen let out a squeak and hurried by the disaster of a girl's side. She threw her arms loosely over the frail form, hugging and rocking her back and forth, whispering in her ear words of comfort, love, and promises, and then kissed the back of her head every now and then. The woman would let out a sob too if Chara's got louder. A few minutes, and her face was buried in the warmth of Toriel's chest as her sobs died, leaving an aftermath of sniffles and hiccups. The queen rubbed the injured girls back, again using her sweet tongue to calm her down.

 

When she had finally felt a bit better, an overcastting shadow appeared.

 

"You should probably wipe that shit off its face, mom." Asriel commented "It looks uglier than before. Dad was right to be disgusted."

 

Toriel looked at her son with…disbelief? Disappointment?

 

"Well…? What are you waiting for? I want my pet _now_. And I can't have it when it's _broken._ Jeez people, logic!"

 

_S-shut up..._

 

Toriel got even more furious at his last words, and when Chara thought she too was about to blow, she just kindly replied to him instead.

 

"You are correct, I too believe there is no use in her when she is hurt, so why don't you help me get her to your room, and fix her up?"

 

Asriel backed away in surprise, but then furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head violently, making his ears spin with him before flopping back to the sides of his face. It was actually pretty funny if she were honest with herself, and nearly exploded with laughter, but she kept a sour face instead, fearing that it may make the boy angry.

 

Toriel lifted one brow, and it magically made the small prince grunt in defeat. He stepped forward, readying himself for "help".

 

Whatever that word meant in his vocabulary.

 

Toriel once more petted Chara's messy mane, whispering apologies. Damn it, Chara really wanted to assure her that she's fine, and that it's not her fault so that she cut it out, but her tongue ached and tingled so badly and the coppery flavor of her blood still piercing her taste buds, along with the awful feeling of her scalp being ripped out still haunted her.

 

Toriel placed her hand under her arms, helping her move up into a sitting position, then gradually until she was up on her feet, one of her hands still held her for stability. _God, her head spun._ The queen ordered Asriel to fetch the cane that she dropped during…her "quality time" with the king, with a grunt, he picked it up and catched up with the too.

 

They stood there for good moment, Chara's head dropped down, feeling so _drained._ Asriel, who pushed his weight onto the wooden staff, started tapping his bare foot on the grassy ground impatiently, while his mother glared at him.

 

"So…what exactly are we waiting for?" he asked idiotically. She swore he was doing it on purpose.

 

"Your help, of course." the woman patiently replied.

 

"Ew, not touching that." he complained in fake disgust, using the cane that he held to poke at her squishy arm "It's already wearing my clothes, the skin rubbing its poison from inside them, good thing I gave up my least favorite sweater for this rat-"

 

" _Asriel_ ," she cut him "didn't your father say that if you plan to keep this human, you are to take care of them _on your own_. You feed them and give them a place to sleep. You are lucky that I'm helping you with most of the dirty work." she spat back at him "Now are you coming or not?"

 

Grunting once more, he walked to Chara's side, who watched his movements from the corner of her eye. He imitated his mother's positioned hand half-heartily, Chara flinched at his touch, wishing that she'd magically die right this moment instead of being touched by this brat. She turned her head to face him with an expression even she couldn't describe. A look of disgust an wary, a swirl of surprise and exhaustion sprinkled on top.

 

"Look, I'm not okay with this either, so stop staring at me." he murmured so that only she can hear.

 

And they moved.

 

Despite the double help she was provided, her feet mostly dragged than walked. And from what she remembered, _the road's quite long and boring,_ and now that she was slower than before, it was going to take much longer, no doubt about it.

 

But she tried her best to walk on her own, but failed miserably, she seemed to always step on Asriel's bare feet, which was surely painful, especially when she's the one wearing shoes. He'd wince once it'd happened, she'd mumble a soft apology and he'd basically respond with a growl. Maybe he didn't hear her?

 

"Ugh, _mom_ , that blood _stinks_." Asriel had complained during their trip up the stairs "How much of it do these humans have _anyways?_ "

 

She felt a bit embarrassed at his criticism, her blood isn't that old that it _stinks_. Yes, the scent is bothersome, but not to that point! She didn't even lose that much! Yet again, _their faces were really close to each other that his fur brushed against her face_ , so he probably have smelled enough of it already.  

 

"We'll clean it up, dear. Just wait a little longer, we're almost home." Toriel had replied.

 

Feeling clean again definitely sounded great now.

 

They at last reached "home" (will they allow her to call it her home too? Toriel did say she's staying here for a while) they entered the room, which was definitely Asriel's, and let her rest on the made bed, while Asriel tossed the staff aside and stretched like a cat, mumbling something about humans being heavy or something like that; and Toriel went to fetch something.

 

During their small wait for Toriel's return, the boy had sat down on the desk's chair, and started spin around with it and move thanks to its wheels.

_All that spinning had made Chara feel queasy._

He eventually stopped, and changed his position on the chair so that his front body lay on the chair's back, and placed his chin on his folded arms.

 

_From the way he's acting freely, this is his room._

…and simply stared at her with those narrow eyes of his.

 

He didn't stay still though, he slowly turned the chair left and right, rocking him. She didn't blame him really, sometimes we just can't find anything to do at the moment, or we do but want to think for a brief moment, and so we do these annoying habits of ours.

 

While Chara sat still, hugging herself, tasting the copper flavored liquid that ran in her mouth. It apparently had lessened. She _did_ feel his gaze burn right through her, but bothered not to look, instead, she admired her lap as if it suddenly became the most interesting thing in the world.

 

Asriel must've wanted to grab her attention, so he started tapping his foot rapidly. She simply ignored it, and she heard a faint growl.

 

"You're so small." he pointed out, straightening himself.

 

Wow. What a compliment.

 

…

 

"That's b-because I'm a kid." she said coldly. Only afterwards had she registered what she had done, and silently panicked, afraid to offend the monster boy.

 

Toriel entered right before he was about to speak again. But her stay wasn't long, she had left after she cleaned her up (Chara couldn't help but blush in shame) and gave her some…liquid to swallow.

 

"Can you _leave_ now?" Asriel protested, _how could he speak to a sweet mother like that?_ "If you wanted a human, you could've asked dad, then again…" he chuckled, and Toriel only let out a tired sigh, and shut the door behind her with a soft click.

 

_Poor Toriel, it must be tiring to deal with this guy._

You'll be dealing with this guy too.

 

"So," Asriel began "as your superior, there are a few things that need to be cleared up, right?" Chara, feeling much better, looked up at the goat- no, her _superior._

 

He got up from the office chair, and spun it before placing both hands behind his _attempted_ straightened back. He then started walking to the left side of the room, once there, he'd turn back and march all the way to opposing wall, and continued like this whilst talking.

 

"I, Prince Asriel Dreemurr, am your _master_ , you call me that, or "your Royal Highness" and "Sir", be grateful I'm giving you a choice."

 

Totally full of himself, no doubt. And as for names… she kind of hated "Master", and "your Royal Highness" seemed more formal. He might like it anyways.

She rolled her eyes.

 

"Secondly, you WON"T be sleeping in _my_ bed anymore, jeez, personal space! But you can't stay anywhere else, dad strictly forbid that, and so, I ordered one of the maids to get a spare mattress, blanket, and pillow, just for you. Consider it a gift." he sounded so nice there, but she was sure it was Toriel's doing, and he was just taking credit.

He snickered "As much as I hate having _trash_ in my room, you might be useful at night. You know, I get thirsty at that time, and I sure _hate_ leaving my warm bed." he paused to face her for a second "I think you'll be _perfect_ in such situations!"

 

She swallowed. _There goes my slumber._

"Thirdly," he said in a serious tone "if I get in trouble of some sort, the blame's on you. Deal with it. The last thing I want is to get grounded, did you know that I had to promise dad that I'd train seriously if I wanted to keep you- _alive._ "

 

Ah, so that's what he did to convince the king.

 

He continued "And don't think of trying anything funny," he stopped, and moved towards her, and in a split second, he was a few inches away from her face, his breath all over her "you _know_ what dad'll do to you, and I'll just sit there, and _watch._ " he snarled, an evil grin appearing on his snout. Her heartbeat raced along with her panting. And as he walked back, she couldn't help but stare at the fluffy white tail that stuck out his pants. Wonder how soft it is.

 

He went back to his "marching", and resumed "You follow every order _I_ give you-oh! And you do NOT touch my desk, hear me, dumbhead?! You don't even look at it, got it?" his sudden questioning tone got Chara to rip her gaze from the white cotton like tail and immediately nod. He then let out a "hmph".

 

"…and…well. I think that's it. As long as nobody knows about you, you'll be fine. And… DON"T piss dad! It'll be the end of you, and by piss, I mean don't EVER cross his sight. Ever."

 

…

 

And cold silence roamed the room. Asriel had stopped moving around, he just stood there, looking at Chara, who returned to look at her lap, not thinking about anything actually. Just staring, waiting for something to happen, and admiring the silence. Unfortunately, Asriel wasn't a fan of the quiet, stomping his foot in annoyance, probably to catch her attention again, and so she slowly elevated her head to face him. But he eventually stopped and let out a frustrated sigh, and stormed back to his desk.

He mumbled something as he sat down, about…the mess beneath the furniture and how the maid didn't clean it…? Something like that. He then started scribbling on one of the notebooks he had, pulling out some more from the desk's drawer and flipping through its pages. Chara just watched him "work", and mutter stuff under his breath, she heard some cursing and swearing once in a while, and followed his tiny tail that slightly twitched every now and then.

 

She was bored, actually, she wanted to _do_ something. She then remembered her book that she didn't finish: "Emma", she recalled. It was a book quite above her age and a challenge to her simple vocabulary, but she enjoyed the first few chapters. She remembered, during her free time, she would bring the book between her frail hands, and a dictionary beside her, and start reading. And whenever she had a hard time figuring out the definition to a word, she'd search it up. Apparently, she found _a lot_ of big words, which made her reading progress proceed at a snail's pace. But overall, she had temporary fun at the time, and she really wished she had brought the book with her. Books were a great way to kill time in her opinion.

 

But she her intentions were not living at that time. How long has it been anyways?

 

_Wonder if anybody noticed my absence…_

Her thoughts vanished from the sound of snapping ringing in her ears.

 

She blinked a few times before looking up to the sound's source. Asriel had stopped once he caught the girl's attention.

 

"The hell…were you sleeping with your eyes open or what?! Didn't you get enough sleep? Three days sounds quite too much, unless you were on drugs."

 

He scoffed before turning back to…doing whatever he was doing. Did he really just do that…? And…three days!? Was she asleep for three whole days? Even if that was true, she sure could use another day…

She kicked her legs playfully, taking a look at the damages of her knees as she drowned in thought. But she was again interrupted by the soft growl of her stomach.

 

She hadn't had breakfast…and she was _starving._

 

She bit her lower lip, can she go out and ask Toriel for something to eat? What time was it anyways? Maybe they didn't have breakfast down here…? Maybe she should ask the prince.

She chewed on her lip a bit harder. What if he'll get angry? The last thing she wanted was another raging goat. But walking out without "his permission" might be worse…

 

Forget about it…? She survived without food once, it was hard yes, but something she could handle, and had handled it before. But then again, she _really_ was hungry, and her aching stomach was betraying her, calling out for something to digest, and she would love to wash out the bloody flavor that stuck in her mouth. She had had her share of the irony liquid.

 

It's worth a shot.

 

…

 

_Address him like he wants you to._

She sucked in a good amount of breath, and mentally practiced her words until she was ready.

 

"Y-your Royal Highness." she forced out the words in a semi-whisper.

 

Asriel had froze for a few seconds before perking his head up "What?" he said coldly.

 

"Well," she fidgeted with her fingers as she spoke "I-I'm quite hungry and…w-well, I wanted your permission…if I may go fetch something…" she said, politely.

Asriel's long silence had started worrying Chara…is he thinking of a clever reject? But he eventually replied, without turning to her "Go get me something too."

 

Her eyes widened in glee and her mouth curled into a smile, something she hadn't done since what seemed like a century. She pushed herself off the bed and onto her feet, leaving the forgotten staff because it felt useless now.

 

"T-thank you, sir." as humiliating as it sounded, she dared not to forget these words. Upper-class residents love being thanked for any good deed they do, or for no reason at all, that's what Chara had learned from her small experience and her journey in novels.

 

"And you're bringing it here yourself, got that? I don't need mom to tire herself, and don't keep me waiting!" he called after her, and she took her precious time to turn around and say "understood" to him. She really didn't want any more trouble.

 

…

 

So…Toriel should be in the living room…right?

 

But she had already went there, and no sight of the large goat woman, is she really that hard to miss? She thought of finding her in one of the other rooms…but not only was the house so damn quite, she really didn't want to disturb her when she's in her own _bedroom._

Just imagine if the king was with her?

 

_A-ah! Sorry Mister Creepy King! Am I disturbing you…? Of course not, what was I thinking! I'm your favorite human that you beat up two hours ago!_

She groaned, when she did find her in the newly discovered kitchen. _Could she make something herself?_

You really _are_ on drugs, this is the Prince we're talking about, and you want to feed him your crummy food? He'll throw it on your face!

 

_B-but I was looking for something for myself-_

Mission's changed. Mister Snobby Pants wants a royal snack.

 

She sighed in defeat. Toriel is nowhere to be found. Sure, she's probably somewhere in the castle, but Chara barely knows this _house_ , she could get _lost._ And Asriel won't approve the holdup.

 

She should retreat and explain the situation. He'll understand, right?

 

Apparently, he was fuming now.

 

"…and if you think your shitty hands are still _broken_ , you could've just went down to the _main kitchen_ and asked one of the chefs there! That easy!" he barked at the trembling Chara in front of him, making her feel so much smaller.

 

"I-I-I-I didn't know where t-to go, I-I'd g-get lost a-and-d-" she stammered. Tears started to pick at her eyes. _N-no…d-don't look weak…d-don't betray m-me like this…_

But it was too late, waterfalls of tears had already stained her face, and Asriel only growled.

 

" _I'd get lost,_ " he mocked "really? grow up!" he was about to say more, but sighed stressfully instead and shoved Chara's delicate form, who lost balance and fell on the hard floor.

 

_Don't look weak…_

 

She wanted to get away, she can't stand reliving this nightmare.

 

_Don't, please, b-be strong…stand up…_

She scampered to the corner of the room, away from "danger", _like she always did._

 

_D-don't…_

She hid her face between her scraped knees, letting out broken sobs as she felt Asriel's footsteps leave the room, and his last words, destined to _her._

 

"Tsk… useless pet you are…" and with that, he slammed the door shut.

 

She remained on the floor, curled up in shivering ball, her sobs muffled and the salty tears that fell from her eyes landed on the small fresh cuts on her knees, making them slightly sting, but she paid no mind, she instead rocked herself to sleep.

 

Even if the pasta's aroma had teased her in her dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	4. First day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't think about the cold present or the bitter past, think of the good future, who knows, maybe you'll get what satisfies you the most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoi! And sorry for the delay, as I said, I'm a very busy person. And a lazy one too. But writing is HARD.  
> PLEASE READ: So sadly, I'll be going on hiatus until who knows when, 'cause I have this thing called "school" and it keeps me from doing my favorite stuff, good thing you guys don't have it :')  
> But yeah, it's very important to me, and I can't slack off school work for this fic, 'cause school is top priority, then this story ^^ but I'll still work on it! If I have enough time, I might post once a month, maybe twice if I'm lucky. Anyways, thanks to those of you who'll stick around :D
> 
> MY TUMBLR: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/nada-noodle
> 
> A shout-out to @rainy-poppy on Tumblr! Their art was one of the things that inspired me to write this trash!  
> http://rainy-poppy.tumblr.com/
> 
> And this video is where I got the story's title from ;)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pifVJgsYTJQ
> 
> Anyways, enjoy this chapter (sorry if the title sucks, I intended it to have more action with a catchy title, but it got way too long and I had to leave it to a-)

She felt a desperate need of fresh air.

 

Her nose was filled with dust, making it disturbingly itchy and uncomfortable, she would sneeze it out, but for whatever reason she remained still, letting the soot seep into her lungs. And with her clogged nose, she still smelled the faint smoke coming from downstairs.

 

The burning weed made her want to puke. Ugh, she should've been satisfied with the dust. Now the disgusting weed smoke.

Her nose twitched a little. She didn't bother opening her eyes, she-despite all the gross aromas- liked the way she was now, the dark and warm atmosphere was cozy enough.

There then was a hand petting her shoulder, a source of comfort. Letting go all of her worries, not paying any attention to her ash-filled nose. Just following the hands petting rhythm, breathing in and out. And who ever this soft hand belonged to, she didn't care. They were generous and that is all that matters.

 

The burning ash pierced through her lungs, but it wasn't hard to breathe. She breathed it in…? And despite its toxic nature, she continued anyways. It didn't matter. And with a smile above that. She was feeling great and that is all that matters.

 

_All that matters..._

She didn't want to wake up. She didn't want to even peek at her surroundings. She wants to stay like this. Where she is in _peace._

_All that matters is your gratitude._

Everything was gone. The petting, the dust, the smoke. _Everything_.

 

…

 

And she was left with the soothing sound of the distant crackling of fire.

 

Her upper body flung up in an instance, heavy panting and wheezing escaping the dry mouth of hers; while her eyes wide in terror, no tears, though. A petit clenched fist on her violently pounding chest slowly opened up to gently touch where her heart would be.

 

A bead of sweat trickled down the side of her face. Heartbeats slowed down along with her panting. After becoming completely calm, she closed her eyelids, and let out a long sigh. Her hand traveled to the back of her head and scratched her neck as she looked around the dark room, when there suddenly was a shuffling sound.

 

Chara, being the chicken she was immediately froze, and slowly rotated her head to the sound's direction.

 

…

 

It was Asriel's bed. It had a lump beneath its covers, raising up, then down, up, then down…

 

It could only be Asriel himself. Besides, it _was_ his bed. Wait. If he was on his bed…then she was…

 

She looked back at herself. And there she was, sitting on a fluffy mattress, a snow white pillow behind her, and a soft blanket covering her lower half of her body. She didn't really stop to wonder who brought it, it was all too obvious. Who else would carry the sleeping "pet" from the floor where she was abandoned and put her in a warm bed?

 

_Toriel, you amazing thing._

 

She needed some refreshment, to get her mind off that horrible dream she had escaped, and a cold splash of water would do.

And a drink. She could drink from the sink instead of that stupid kitchen. She shook her head when that _brat_ came in mind.

 

And she definitely knows where the bathroom is now, thanks to mama Toriel-

 

…

 

…

 

…mama…?

 

She had no idea where that came from, but that name sure suits her well. _Mama Toriel…Goat mama…_ heh…

 

 

_"… if you feel like calling me mother, I also don't mind!"_

 

 

Her cheeks warmed up. Would it be totally okay to call her…"mother"? She gave her permission to…but won't it be awkward?! A queen, being called "mama" in front of _anybody_ , by some rank-two creature.

 

So…that makes Asgore…papa?

 

…

 

She should get going.

 

She kicked off the covers, and hopped off her new "bed". Standing on bare feet, she spotted her shoes beside her, socks tucked in. After removing the two fabrics, she slipped on the footwear, planning her trip to be a brief one, and placed the socks on her bed before tip-toeing her way to the door, taking quick glances at the sleeping Asriel, just to make sure she didn't disturb him. He definitely looked like a dead cow since he didn't hear her squeak when she clumsily tripped, but his rising form determined that he was still breathing.

She finally reached the door, her hand placed firmly on its knob, she looked back a couple of times before slowly turning it…and, done! She succeeded on opening the door without any unexpected creaks!

 

Tip-toeing her way out the hall, she took her sweet time to gently close the door behind her.

She was met with a dark corridor, and when she thought the grey walls looked fascinating…well, she takes it back.

The walls now merged with the darkness made the house seem very unwelcoming, like coming in Dracula's home on a rainy night because you can't go home on such weather.

So you're stuck in the creepy abandoned home, hoping nothing eats you while you're off guard.

 

She swallowed. There's nothing to be afraid of, i-it's just the dark! Nothing has changed accept for the lighting, so everything's in its same spot.

And so is the bathroom.

 

It should be right next to Asriel's bedroom. Easy! Just a couple steps and she'll be on safe ground.

 

Well, n-not that she's scared or anything.

 

But why was it dark…?

 

…

 

Probably nighttime, it explains why Asriel's sleeping. And so is everyone else.

 

So don't make a _sound._ Mister Royal Pants must be sleeping after a frustrating day of work.

 

_O-oh god…forgot about him!_

The thought of King Asgore sleeping in _this very house_ made her shiver. She'd better not make a sound.

 

Her steps were brief and soundless, or as soundless as she could manage with her shoes. She let out a sigh of relief once she got there, her racing heart slowing down. Facing the entrance, she held the door's knob, hesitated opening it, thinking of the possibility of this room being the wrong one, and would lead to King's, but shook it away and opened it anyway.

 

She was very happy to be greeted with the lavatory.

 

Entering, she flicked the lights on and closed the door as slow as possible to earn a slightly audible "click". Sighing, she immediately walked over to the clean toilet, trying to recall the last time she done her "thing".

Pulling her shorts down, she sat on the cold seat, scooted a bit to her comfortable desires, and…

 

…released.

 

After washing up and flushing the toilet, she slipped up her shorts, and headed to the sink, where she would wash her hands, of course. Standing on the tips of her toes, she reached the faucet with a little blue sign drawn in the middle, which indicates cold water. She didn't bother opening the red one-for _hot_ water- since she didn't want to waste time on figuring out the good amount of each temperature to make a warm one. No, just use cold water. At least it doesn't burn.

 

Now…she needed soap. Scanning the marble countertop, she spotted a purple bar which she had mistaken for a candle at first sight. Soap? Maybe, sure smells nice.

She grabbed the bar and scrubbed it between her hands. Ah, Bubbles! So it is soap!

 

Finishing with a good rinse, she couldn't help but to have mercy on her dry throat, and so, she leaned forward to water herself.

 

She didn't know anywhere else to get a drink.

 

Oh how refreshing that was, she felt like she was in _paradise_. She finished her treat with a lick of her lips. She then looked at her reflection.

 

What a beautiful monkey!

 

Looking back, she spotted a towel, maybe it was for hands, maybe not. But who was she to know? She'd just use it and let nobody know.

 

Actually, she rarely got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Sure, she'd wake up from a frightening nightmare, heart bouncing and drowning in cold sweat; but never to the bathroom. She was actually quite _terrified_ to go there, alone, in the dark.

But today- _tonight,_ she had a certain courage, she didn't know where it came from, but she _is_ quite flattered that she passed the creepy hallway. Maybe it was the fact that she's in foreign house, or the fact that she actually belongs in this house…

 

_"I would like to make it clear that our decision to keep you here is not a symbol of acceptance, but a symbol of **property**."_

 

Her building smile had fallen apart. Crybaby tears escaping as if prisoners who had found an escape from their prison. _How could she **forget**._

 

Wiping her mess away with her sleeve, she finally made her way out. She should sleep while she can.

 

In the hall, she couldn't help but notice the distant lighting. _It was coming from the living room._

Had she turned the lights on…and forgot them? But she didn't go there…h-how?

 

Unconsciously, she was lured to it, she found herself right about to enter the lightened room (she was surprised how she saw the light two rooms away, though) peeking in, she saw a glimpse of Toriel, sitting on the dining table with a steaming mug in her big, furry hands, Chara couldn't really make out to what she was staring at, if she was staring at something _at all_ ; the woman wore no expression, that's right- it was blank. Which, based on Chara's tiny knowledge on this woman, was definitely not herself. Maybe…she should ask.

 

The thought of comforting someone, and being there for them, filled the human girl with a confident warmth.

 

She is **determined** to help this kind woman.

 

Inhaling a good amount of air, she stepped forward.

 

Toriel snapped out of her…whatever she was doing, and spun her head to face the small approaching girl. She looked a bit surprised at first, dark lashes fluttering a bit before her expression calmed down, returning to its usual peaceful state.

 

"Oh…why, hello there, child, what brings you up at this hour? You should get some rest." her friendly question of consideration registered in Chara's mind.

 

"Went to the bathroom." she replied, trying to sound as sweet as Toriel. She had always been told about her sour behavior, at least she could try to change that for the person who didn't point that out.

 

"Oh, what a relief!" she chuckled softly, more like in a whispering manner "I thought I had disturbed your slumber." the goat gave an apologetic look.

 

Chara smiled a bit, not sure how to respond due to her lack of socializing.

 

"Even if you did, I won't mind." that earned her a blush from Toriel. She wasn't lying, there's no way she could be angry at Toriel!

 

"I…" Chara continued "I saw you here and… thought of passing by. You looked sad." she bluntly confessed.

 

The woman gave her a gentle smile before eventually reaching out to pat her head. Chara too smiled in response.

 

"Since you are awake, could I get you anything to eat? You hadn't had dinner yesterday…" Toriel proposed.

 

This is just so thoughtful of her, she remembered that she slept on an empty stomach! There's no way she won't accept this offer

 

"I'd like that." she replied, looking up at the goat woman. Toriel nodded and got up from her seat, heading towards the kitchen, and Chara followed from behind; and when Toriel came to a stop in front of the stove, the human girl clumsily bumped into the furry monster's back, earning a look of concern from the woman, Chara simply waved it off.

 

After opening a few cabinets to pull out some dishes, Toriel headed towards the fridge, examining its contents; not looking back, she asked Chara if she'll be okay with pie and warm milk. The girl agreed, and honestly, she was okay with _anything_ , as long as it's _food._

 

On second thought, she'll be eating the snail pie again. Oh crud.

 

Standing far behind the woman's back, Chara curiously watched Toriel prepare her midnight snack, although her back literally covered her "cooking show", her eyes wandered around the kitchen for a while, until meeting a clock hung upon a wall.

 

Interesting. She could at least tell what time it is down here. Squinting her eyes, she focused on the clock's still hands, and ignoring the seconds' thin one that left soft ticking as it moved.

 

_Tic, tic, tic…_

She took mental notes for the hands' places, and when she was halfway on figuring out the time, the hands would move. And she would start counting with fingers all over again.

 

It was frustrating, she found reading clocks ridiculous and a waste of time, but she'd always say that to herself, deep down, she knew she was the ridiculous one.

 

Ah! Finally, she got it! It was 1:37…w-wait…which hand was the minutes again? Then it's 7:08…no…ugh! She really wasn't in the mood now. How did people tell time with ease?!

 

 

She turned her attention back to Toriel, who placed a boiling pan on the stove; she watched her pour some milk in it with a half lidded gaze, waiting for her to turn the stove on, but she didn't. Instead, with a flick of her fingers, a spark of fire was created, and placed under the pan.

 

Her brain had stopped working.

 

She jumped from her place, eyes wide open and jaw dropped.

 

"…h- _how_ did you…" she stuttered.

 

Toriel turned her head to face the girl, a calm look on her face "What? Fire magic? Have you never seen anybody use magic before?" she said, as if magic was something totally normal now. Damn… if magic exists, then skies can be purple and oceans can be orange, because _why not._

 

Chara shook her head "Magic doesn't exist," she said "at least not from where I come from."

She actually heard of wizards and fortune tellers, they actually creep her and the rest of the villagers out, since they are used for…"bad things". She heard of someone- a jealous lover- use voodoo magic on someone else. But other than that, she had never witnessed anything else supernatural.

 

But those types of magic are always the disturbingly creepy type, where the user would live in a dark cave on top of a mountain and live with "shadows" and "spirits" or something like that.

 

"Oh, you don't use magic anymore." she said, a hint of…disappointment in her tone?

 

"There are some that use it, but they're bad, and very rare." she confirmed.

 

"Ah, I see." Toriel said, returning to the warm liquid. She poured the milk in a mug, holding it in one hand, and a plate of promised pie (which Chara didn't see her prepare) in the other, and brought them to the table outside the kitchen.

 

Chara followed the woman as she placed her meal on the table, she climbed the big chair and sat in front of the food, while Toriel sat across from her telling her to "eat up", and oh boy she did.

 

She placed her lips on the pink cup, slowly inching down, afraid to burn herself, when her upper lip touched the liquid and confirmed it safe, she then sipped from it. The lovely creamy flavor of the milk was something she couldn't resist, the warm temperature soothed her body, she immediately closed her eyes to complete the pleasure. While Toriel's arms rested on their elbows, fingers entwined to create a seat for her chin to rest on; watching her melt in happiness.

 

Chara put down the mug to get a good look at Toriel, which she realized that she hadn't thanked her yet, and so she used the moment to do so. Toriel nodded her head.

 

She moved to the pie-oh boy- she hesitantly took a bite, but instead of that slimy and disgusting flavor, there was a sweet, sugary one- was that butterscotch? It was truly good!

 

"So…about magic," Toriel brought up the previous subject "opposing to your kind, we use magic on daily bases." she explained. Chara looked up from her food and nodded.

 

"Seems very useful" she replied, not wanting the woman to have a conversation on her own.

 

"Indeed it is. And magic differs from one monster to another; making us unique, I must say," she sighed "but other than using it to help on daily tasks, we use it for self defense, and _only_ self defense. It is clearly forbidden to use it against another being; hopefully, the guardsmen are taking their duties seriously."

 

Chara nodded, and they remained silent after that. Toriel took care of Chara's empty dishes while she jumped off the wooden chair, going back to bed was her current goal. It was just then she noticed that Toriel didn't really answer her first question, about her sad mood, she instead changed the subject with food, and Chara, being the hungry child she was instantly forgot what she came for, to eat.

 

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

But whatever was up with Toriel, she must want to keep it to herself, why else would she avoid the question? She really wished she could do something.

…

On second thought, there is.

 

With a twist of a heel, she skipped back to the woman -who was busy in the kitchen- and surprised her with a hug from behind.

Toriel, surprised looked back at the small girl who just tackled her.

 

"A-ah, my child…?" she stuttered.

 

Chara hugged the lady tighter, a big smile on her face "Thank you, Miss Toriel, thank you for everything you've done to me so far," she buried her face further into Toriel's pastel purple nightgown when she felt her crybaby tears spilling, not wanting her to notice "a-and thank you for everything you _will_ do to me." she clutched harder at the fabric, her broken smile that she's still trying hold now stained with the tears "…t-thank you…" and her voice had broken down.

 

Toriel said nothing. She simply knelt down and embraced the sobbing human, her hand rubbing her back.

This was awful. Instead of making Toriel feel happy, she made both of them the _opposite._ Another failed plan, great job.

Why couldn't she be helpful? Why was she a failure at everything? She couldn't even accomplish _saying her name._ Why was that something she found incredibly hard to do?

 

"Hush, Chara, it's okay…hush now…" Toriel's soothing voice calmed the shaking girl.

 

A short time after, they pulled away, Chara mumbled an apology as she rubbed her eyes, but Toriel stopped her, saying that there was no need to be sorry for doing nothing. She then walked her back to the room, where she tucked her in bed, and planted a kiss on her forehead. But as she was about to leave, Chara held her from her sleeve, silently begging her to stay a bit longer. She eyed her form for a bit before sliding her hand into Toriel's. She saw her smile and used her free hand to top the human's tiny one, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Chara shut her eyes when she felt her guardian leave, not wanting to see her light leave her in the uncomfortable darkness, but the thought of seeing her again in the morning gave her hope.

 

And when she opened her eyes again, she was gone.

 

She sighed and turned to her side -hopefully a good position to fall asleep in- And once more, shut her eyes, to actually sleep this time. She cleared her mind from any thoughts that may disturb her slumber.

 

Her mind was now clear, she was now drifting to sleep, drifting to _peace._

…

 

"…Hey," a sleepy voice grumbled "get me water, I'm dying over here."

 

__________________

 

She completely woke up at the sound of a shutting door, despite her urge of more shuteye, those ruby eyes of hers fluttered open.

A deep and tired groan escaped her mouth as she stretched in her place. Whoever slammed the door could only be Mister Grumpy Pants Asriel, always walking around with an "attitude", even if she just met him yesterday. And she already hates it.

Anyways, the prince did have at least one good option: he woke up almost immediately, which she felt a tad jealous-wait a minute!

 

He woke up before her…

 

_This is bad…_

How could she let this happen!? If he blew up last time for something _that_ small…he'll literally _explode_ this time!

 

_Correction: this is horrible!_

If she knew anything about obedience, it is to be wide and awake before your superior. But no, Chara must always screw things up.

 

She sprung out of her bed, slipped on her socks as fast as she could, resulting a messy look; her shoes were next, and thankfully, they didn't have laces, she just had to slip them on like she did with her socks. It's not that she doesn't know how to tie them or anything, but this particular footwear is just way too easy and less time consuming.

 

She noticed Asriel's unmade bed. She might still have a chance!

 

She ran towards the door and opened it without any thought in her mind other than rapidly wash her face and her mouth, and meet up with Asriel, who probably should be in the kitchen, if monsters had breakfast.

 

And she did so, finishing her morning splash with a glance at the bathroom's mirror. Her eyes were puffy and red, and her hair was a mess. She tried combing her hair with her hand, the comb that Toriel gave her would be very useful now, wonder if she should ask for it.

But operation brush-your-hair-with-your-hand wasn't working, _at all_ , and came with the conclusion that she should waste no time.

 

She exited the lavatory, closing its door behind her, and hurried down the hall-

 

…

 

-only to be startled with the towering obstacle in front of her.

 

_A-Asgore!?_

The former king stood there, he looked like he was going somewhere too. He wore his previous attire, curtained with the scarlet cape. His face was stoned as usual, as his eyes darted down to look at the trembling human before him.

 

She remembered to act quick and not be stupid this time. _But it was so scary with him staring like that!_ Still, she gathered her shattered courage and bowed down to the king.

 

"G-good morning, Y-Your Majesty!" she kind of shouted at the end of her greeting, thinking that even her normal speech volume won't reach his high ears.

 

Her heart pounded in her ears as she remained in the same position, blood rushing to the bobbed head, eyes shut tight, waiting for his response.

Asgore huffed and passed her _without a glance,_ and went to his destination, which Chara didn't bother to care. She was just glad that it was _over_.

 

_I-it's over, you can breathe now._

She lifted her head and took a deep breath. She placed a trembling hand on her frightened heart. She could get a heart attack from this guy!

You got lucky this time, because _oh boy_ did he want to stomp you.

 

She shook her head and made her way to the kitchen, where the two royal goats remained.

 

And to her luck, they truly were there, the sweet Toriel working on the kitchen counter, while Asriel had his back and left foot on the wall and arms crosed; probably having a conversation with his mother based on the direction he was looking at.

 

They turned their heads in union as they heard Chara's footsteps entering the kitchen. While Toriel greeted her with a welcoming "good morning", Asriel snarled.

 

"Why the _hell_ are you late?!" he barked "Like sleeping in, huh? Well you kept your _master_ waiting! We did NOT agree to this!"

 

She knew it. She totally saw it coming.

 

"…sorry." she mumbled.

 

"For you information," Toriel barged in "Chara is still quite ill-"

 

"But it's MY human!" Asriel shouted back pointing at his chest with a thumb "You don't tell it what to do, I do, 'cause it's under MY control-"

 

"And who exactly agreed to clean up after the human and aid them? Feed them? Tell me, Asriel." Toriel shot back. She really was a hero, even if the "clean after them" part was disturbing, she didn't know how grateful she is to have at least one person on her side.

 

And of course, Asriel zipped his mouth shut. Ha! Take that!

He looked away, humiliated. He then glanced at her, looking her up and down. He's going to complain about something, right?

 

"…what's up with your hair? You look like that creepy lion dude that likes to sing opera shit."

 

Yep. He just did that.

 

" _Asriel._ " Toriel said in a warning tone.

 

"What?" he replied in amusement "That dude is totally a creep!"

 

"Asriel, Amalfried is a nice person with dreams, and I appreciate his passion and hard work to achieve it, unlike _you_."

 

"I train hard too y'know!" he protested.

 

And while they argued, Chara just stood there watching the two. Huh, who knew royal families fought…like _this._

It was a bit funny though, how the prince had no good arguments to win over his mother. Knowledge sure is a great treasure.

 

"Now Asriel sweetie, why don't you and Chara go have a seat? Breakfast should be served any minute now." Toriel ordered. Asriel grunted as he turned to the exit, waving his hand as permission for her to follow. Or gesture. Whatever were his intensions, she just followed after him.

 

Chara took the same seat from last night, after making sure Asriel didn't take it, of course. The boy rest his head on his hand as he wore a look she couldn't define. He looked like he was thinking; it kind of reminded her of Toriel, yeah, he wore the same look as her from that night. Whatever he was thinking of, he surely was drowning in it.

 

Chara sat shyly around the table, her fingers fidgeting from underneath the furniture as she kicked her legs, amusing herself while she wait. She turned to the kitchen's direction when the smell of sweet pancakes tickled her nose. Yum! They were having pancakes!

 

Her breakfast was usually a small glass of milk and a some dry bread, if she was lucky, that is. She had always craved something sweet, like chocolate, but was never blessed with anything other than an apple. She always had to eat slowly when she earns that treat to savor its flavor.

 

Her thoughts were knocked out with some fingers drumming on the surface. Asriel. Was he really THAT impatient?!

 

"You," Asriel called out to her, then leaned a bit closer and whispered "finish early, and get ready. We've got some business to take care of."

 

What? Business? The heck is he talking about?!

 

"W-what?" she whispered back.

 

"Ugh, are you that dumb? Just hurry and we'll meet up in my room. Guess I'll waste good extra time on explaining to this dummy."

 

As much as she hated his comment, she couldn't help but put that aside, and wonder what this "business" is. What could he be up to? And why her? There are tons of other servants to ask for help, and wasting time? He has all the tie in the world! If he has plans that'll be in the way he could just cancel them, he's a prince for crying out loud!

 

He just wants to annoy the hell out of you, don't you know that? That fall really did a number on you.

 

She sighed to herself, and decided to focus on the hot served food in front of her.

 

Delicious layers of pancakes rest on a plate that is no other than hers, a small portion of butter melt on the very top along with some syrup that fell over the layers like slim waterfalls. The two goats also had the same exact meal as hers, but there's more.

A bowl of colorful berries was placed in the middle of the table, for those who wanted some on their plate, and each of them had a large glass of what looked like orange juice.

There was another plate filled with chocolate chip cookies, stacking over each other, just ready to be devoured.

 

Oh boy was she going to feast.

 

Asriel had stretched his hand to grab a handful of cookies, but his hand earned a slap from his mother.

 

" _After_ breakfast." she told him. He mimicked her words behind her back as he reached out for the berries instead.

 

"Good boy," she awarded him with a pat on the head "that way you'll have enough energy for practice today, isn't that right, my fluffybuns?"

 

" _Mom._ " he warned. Toriel just chuckled and turned to Chara, who was staring viciously at the food "Eat up, my child."

Her voice made her realize the way she was staring and blushed in embarrassment. She picked some berries and dropped them on the cake, picked up the silverware (which were just like back on the surface, to her luck) and chomped down her food.

 

She didn't know how long they took, but they all finished their meals, which got Toriel from her seat and start gathering the empty dishes. Chara offered to help, but Toriel declined, while Asriel snatched the sweet goodies.

 

"Hey," he snapped to get her attention once again "let's go. Now." he ordered.

 

Just as she was about to leave, Toriel called her, saying she needed something to tell her.

 

"I actually have something for you, please follow me." the goat woman held the child's hand and guided her to the one of the rooms.

 

It neither Asriel's or the bathroom's door she was in front of, it was _her_ room.

 

"Do you want to come in or are you fine waiting here? It will only take a second." she asked.

 

Going in to Creepy King's room? No thank you.

 

"I'll be okay here." Chara decided.

 

And it sure took her less than a few seconds before she came back with a black attire folded neatly in her arms.

 

"The king, Asgore, requires you to wear this at all times, especially outside the house. He…thinks it is more formal, just wear it atop your current clothes." Toriel explained as she handed it to Chara.

 

_Oh, great. An outfit. Should've seen that coming._

 

It's probably to humiliate her, to make her "stand out" or to show that she's property. Whatever the reason is, it's just an awful gesture, opposing to the kind queen, who definitely had a hard time handing it over.

 

She examined her new addition to her wardrobe, it was a black sleeveless shirt, its texture felt like leather, it also had a high collar. It was trimmed with golden-yellow on every opening gap, and on the chest area was a symbol in the same yellow shade. _The symbol was just like the one Toriel had, and the entrance to Asgore's throne room._

 

Her slender fingers traced the design curiously, Toriel had taken notice and spoke up "That, my child is the _Delta rune_ , it is the symbol of our kingdom." she clarified.

 

She continued to stare at it, as if trying to memorize its features-although she'll be wearing forever- a circle with wings on its sides. Underneath it were three triangles, two of them had their peaks facing up, while the third one-the middle one- was facing down.

And overall, _this thing kind of weighed_.

 

Remembering that Asriel is waiting, she decided not to waste any time, so she slipped it on, careful of not making the mistake of wearing the symbol on her back-that'll be embarrassing.

 

And to her lucky stars, she didn't.

The new attire sure was a bit heavy for her, but she is obliged to deal with it. Its length was enough to cover her bottom, but allowed her to move freely and run. Its shoulders though were a bit stiff, she at first blamed the sweater underneath, but this outfit was actually a bit rigid for a normal shirt, but it made her wimpy form stand straight a little.

 

To sum it up, it was uncomfortable and ridiculous.

 

"Ah," Toriel clapped her hands together "it looks…fascinating on you!"

 

Aw, she's trying to cheer you up.

 

"Thank you. I…uh, like it a lot." she thanked "Uh, I gotta go, Asriel-I mean _Prince_ Asriel-"

 

"Oh no, no, it's fine. Run along now." Toriel easily excused her with that signature smile. Chara nodded and added a last "thank you" before leaving the woman to head to the goat boy's room.

 

Who knows what he's up to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you oh so much for reading! And CLIFFHANGER!
> 
> Wonder what the rebel is up to...hmmm....and what are these crazy dreams Chara is having?
> 
> And if you're wondering where I got Chara's outfit, here's a link;  
> https://jany-chan17.deviantart.com/art/Underfell-Chara-648427360  
> And other pictures on google that I sadly can't find an original source, and yeah, my UF Chara doesn't have black pants and red shoes. It's called "being different :)
> 
> And again, thank, and see you next time!


	5. Felonious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mission on the go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoi! Long time no see-sorry 'bout that! Was busy with school and all, and guess what?! Got the highest score :D all that hard work actually paid off :'D
> 
> This chapter was a bit frustrating to work with, and I soon lost motivation to write, along with exam stress and awfully hurting my good hand (still hurts as I type) and now stuck with my left hand standing there like "idk how to do anything lmao". But after finishing exams and catching up with my life (by that I mean playing Doki Doki literature club) I got motivated again!
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoy this extra lengthy chapter (and if anyone spots mistakes, please tell me)  
> Thanks for sticking around!

Chara placed a trembling hand on the shiny doorknob, about to turn it around and open it to greet Asriel and discover his marvelous "plan"; but hesitated, and removed her hand to knock instead. That way, he would have no reason to criticize and avoid any bad consequences. And she had to mentally pat her back for her smart thinking.

 

"Come in," Asriel's voice came from the other side of the door, she was a bit surprised, but what was she really expecting? For him to come and open it for her? Ha! In her dreams! She was the _servant_ here, she will never be shown any sign of respect.

 

_…except for Toriel…_

She sighed to herself and tried straightening her form before entering.

 

Closing the door behind her, a grinning Asriel spun his head towards her direction. He sat on his chair as if it were his _throne_. Scattered pages and notebooks on the desk's surface were now a very normal sight to Chara.

 

She wondered how important those are to him.

 

"'Bout time you got here," he finally said, his amused grin faltering into a straight line. His red pupils then darted to the new garment she wore, then looked at her from top to bottom while scratching his chin.

 

"Huh. They finally got you this getup, _great_ , just perfect!" he commented, it may have sounded sarcastic, but he was really happy. He seriously liked an outfit that _she_ wore so that _she_ can stand out as _property._

 

Of course, a brat like him would love that. The feeling of being in control always consumes people.

 

She felt ashamed, she wanted to melt into a puddle of flesh if she can, humiliation read all over her white face. She fluttered her eyes to keep the tears from falling, and be another reason to feel ashamed even more. Her head felt too heavy to carry and so started to tilt down a bit, even if she struggled to keep it up.

 

_No weaknesses, no…_

"Alright," Asriel's voice woke her up like a splash of cold water on your face would, and looked straight at him, well, not in the eyes…there's no way she could be that confident…

 

"Now…before I go training, there's a certain person I want to take care of!" he exclaimed, putting a hand on his hip and extending a forefinger from his other one, she could see the glee in his eyes.

 

"And because she doesn't do her job right, she needs a lesson…and a new place to work, because I'm not allowing her to stay here _any longer_." he scowled.

 

O-oh no, c-could it be…her? Is he serious?! No…that can't be…it just can't be her, he was desperate to keep her, why throw her away now?

 

He returned to his desk and searched through its mess of paper, until he fetched a thick booklet with some colorful small papers sticking out from it and flipped through its pages. All while Chara stood there, patiently waiting for him to continue his speech and get to the point already. When he came to a stop, he tapped his finger on the page that looked like what he was looking for and smiled.

 

"Her name's Angie," he said, turning the book to Chara. She squinted her eyes to see what stood out the most- a picture of a feline, and the rest of the page had some information about this "Angie" ending with a signature scribbled at the end and a smudged stamp; but the page seems nothing more than a copy of an original, due to how the stapled picture looked, and how the ink didn't stand out as much as fresh ink would. So this book that he's holding…it has people's information? Or…the castle's servants only? Why does he have such thing in his room?

 

Is _this_ why he doesn't want her near his desk? Because it holds private information of who works in the castle?

 

_And he showed it to her. Which means she should shut her mouth about it._

Chara swallowed and blinked twice before looking back to his amused face. He snickered as he turned the book back to him and flipped another page before speaking again "I also have her schedule, so I know when she'll work, and _where_."

 

This is complete stalking. Is he serious? Wanting to fire her like _this_? Again, he could simply end her career by just complaining about her to his father _the freaking king._

 

…

 

But she thought again, if she were to look directly into his mind, and acted by his logic, his _rules_ , a sadistic jerk like him wouldn't be content by just pointing a finger to the door as in "get out", no…where's the fun in that?

 

Chara now understood the prince's mischief desires, he wanted to cause a ruckus in the castle, a fierce fight that may even harm this "Angie", making other servants that witnessed it whisper to each other, passing personal opinions, making curtains of humiliation fall over the maid's face. And only then will she step out of the castle; for _good._

_But…why all of this? Why must humiliating someone seem so amusing to another? Hurting their feelings, making them feel hopeless…how could that make someone else happy?_

The feeling of being in control, that's what they feel.

 

…

 

How awful.

 

And now she'll be joining him in this crime, and there's no going back, she has no option, she never had one to begin with.

 

She frowned at him, but he didn't notice at all; he went to grab a backpack and placed the binder in it, as well as the cookies he grabbed earlier this morning. Doesn't he know they'll get smudged in there? Let alone get nasty and inedible.

 

…unless those aren't for him.

 

"Alright," he said, slipping on the straps on his shoulders "I'll explain the stuff while we're on our way so we don't waste time. The sooner the better." he made his way to the door, and Chara followed, but then startled her when he turned back.

 

"Oh…and don't try to do anything to grab anyone's attention… _got it?_ " he warned, giving the human the ultimate glare of death, which startled her and left her lost for a few seconds before nodding in response.

 

"Good," his face was now permanently stern "follow me." he said, waving with his hand for Chara to pursue after him.

 

Slamming the door behind him, Asriel marched down the hall with the clumsy Chara behind him. Anxiety had hit her with a rock, what if they were caught? Well, Asriel won't have to worry about that, since not only is he "The Prince", but the blame will be wiped on _her_.

 

_"if I get in trouble of some sort, the blame's on you. Deal with it. The last thing I want is to get grounded"_

…

 

She always has to play dog, doesn't she?

 

Asriel's halt in front of the foreign door that faces the staircase made Chara realize; she was going to step _outside_ this house. She was leaving the safety (well, not a hundred percent safe) of Toriel's home, and discover the entire _castle_ itself. And with Asriel on top of that! About to commit a crime, how decent.

 

But nothing will save her from the position she's in, nothing saved her before, in fact, it only got worse; so what makes her think something will save her now? And it's monsters this time, with magic too.

Even so, there she is now, still waiting for a last minute miracle to come.

 

"Asriel, dear?" a familiar voice called out.

 

The goat boy, who was inches away from grabbing the doorknob, flinched at the sound of his name from his mother's voice. He heaved a sigh as if he were an annoyed adult and rolled his eyes before responding.

 

" _What?_ "

 

Toriel emerged from the hall, a towel in hand, and a calm, unbothered face "My dear, I do believe it is quite too early for your _Magic training_?" she asked; although it seemed she already knew the answer, and she was just reminding him instead.

And with a good few seconds of eye contact, the youngster spun his head away and huffed "I'm just taking my pet out for a walk, you got a problem with that?"

The name "pet" made Chara _boil_ and grind her teeth together. Ugh. How stupid that name was, especially coming from _him_. He could've said "servant". He could've said "slave". But _no_ ; none of those were appealing and suitable for his mouth to pronounce.

But despite the anger fuming in her, she remained in her silent, and miserable form.

 

Toriel didn't seem taken back by his rude answer (which was how he always replied, anyways) but gave him her signature smile and nodded her head in approval.

 

"Alright then. I just wanted to know. Be safe."

 

Asriel grunted as he opened the front door, she wasn't sure if he had just ignored his mother's last words, or if he considered that noise as a proper response. She looked back at the woman, who was waiting patiently for their depart, and gave her the best smile she could muster up; it's the only thing she could give her as a token of appreciation.

…and Toriel had accepted it with complete gratitude.

 

"…you too, my child. Be careful." the mother sent her last message to the frail human before disappearing from behind the closing door.

__________________

 

Chara's crimson eyes couldn't help but look at how beautiful the house looked from the outside _._

 

And how odd it was too.

 

Of course she didn't expect it to be a dump, since this is the _King's_ home. But what she didn't expect was the house and its flowery garden to actually be part of the _castle_.

In other words, the house, the stoned path and the flower patches that made this royalty's house look like any ordinary house (a fancy one, she must admit) you would find in your neighborhood, or even in the countryside-is actually _inside_ the castle.

 

She had her doubts, of course. An entire floor, is an average house, for the _King_ himself and his family? No…there must be a good explanation; she would ask Asriel, but she really didn't think asking her "master" questions out of curiosity is "allowed".

But then again, Prince Cotton-tail (she had to reward herself for coming up with _such_ a suitable name for the jerk) _did_ say that there was a main kitchen some floors down, or something like that. You know, when she asked for a snack-

 

_F-forget that ever happened…_

She was startled by a sudden fall on the hard floor.

 

And a growl from Asriel, of course.

 

"Do you, like, have two left legs or something?! This is the fourth time, for lord's sake!" he complained, arms shooting in the air.

 

"Sorry…" she mumbled, trying regain focus once more and continue walking.

 

"You've said that so many times that I've lost count. It isn't helping. It'll never will either." he replied with a huff, while Chara still hasn't gotten up yet, for she still can see stars. What the hell did she trip on anyway?!

 

She was too busy to notice the approaching figure, her eyes decided to become blind to the white hand that-

 

"Alright, I-"

 

-forcefully and painfully yanked her auburn locks. A sharp yelp was let out by the Prince's subordinate as he pulled her to her feet. She immediately stumbled backwards when he let go of her mane, gasping and clutching at both her hair and heart, lower lip quivering violently. _Man,_ was her pale, frightened face was hilarious.

 

That sure did remind her of a **great** memory, didn't it?

 

"…should've got up sooner." he calmly said after a long silence. And with that, they continued without any word.

 

They entered an elevator shortly after. Asriel had to step on his tippy-toes to reach the desired button- which was most likely their destination. It made her wonder…were all monsters as huge as Toriel and King Asgore? Were there any monsters that are even _larger?_ That thought scared her a bit.

 

She straightened her form after noticing Asriel coming her way. Back straight, hands together, head down to stare at the clean, checkered floor as always. It's a task she never failed.

 

Asriel said nothing and stood beside her, which gave her a chance to give him slight glances. Asriel was definitely much taller than her, for both a monster (If she were to go with the theory of monsters being bigger than humans) and a boy; since they are usually much taller than girls.

She wasn't sure if she could measure correctly from this distance, but her head might actually reach his jaw. The thought-for some reason- kind of made her…flattered? Proud? She didn't know why, since it's not like it changes anything…

 

"So," Asriel began after a while of the elevator's humming "about our…"mission", heh."

Chara tilted her head a bit, listening carefully to what he has to say.

 

"Angie should be cleaning a certain office right now," he paused for a second to finally face her, lifting his pointer finger "the _servant's headmaster's_ office." he finished by adding a diabolic smirk.            

 

Chara's eyes widened as Asriel's face inched closer, his pupils becoming sharper, and voice turning into a menacing whisper "Listen, he's a complete maniac when it comes to hygiene and all that bullshit; as annoying as he is, he still does a great job in keeping this place _perfect_ …"

 

His voice trailed off for a moment, so as his eyes wandered a bit before coming back with a quick blink, back to the threatening look, his mouth a straight line "Anyways, our main priority is Angie and not him, _right?_ "

 

Chara nodded fast. Her heart pounding in a terrified rhythm, the elevator's hums became louder, almost making her deaf to any other voice, and now she was obliged to stare at the ochre whirlpool…

 

_They really look alike, don't they? Asgore and Asriel…_

 

She swallowed harshly, continuing to listen to the prince's words.

 

"…we'll be turning his precious office into a damned dumpster" the devil's grin returned to his face "got it, _pet?_ "

 

She swallowed once again before a soft ding was heard, followed by metal doors opening.

 

Both had their gazes laid on the exit-their _destination_ , and looked back at each other. Asriel raised an eyebrow, awaiting her response.

 

"Y-yeah; understood." she at last said, trying her best to shake off her scared face.

 

Asriel huffed and adjusted his backpack's straps as he stepped out the elevator, and Chara quickly followed.

 

They remained silent the whole time. Asriel simply leading the way and Chara remained behind him, observing her surroundings at the same time.

The goat boy would often take swift glances to make sure that she's still following, and he'd glare at her if she'd suddenly stopped to admire one of the fancy paintings on the walls or a pretty vase of golden flowers. She'd send him an apologetic look with a sheepish smile and catch up with him.

 

Asriel halted and shrugged off his backpack, letting it fall on the sparkling floor with a loud thump. The cookie from this morning should be more than destroyed by now. Chara silently observed him as his fingers fumbled with zipper. He eventually pulled out the binder, and flipped through its pages quietly.

He suddenly paused at his desired page and tapped a finger on it.

 

"Get my watch," Asriel ordered without ripping his gaze from the booklet "it's in the outer pocket."

 

Wasting no time, Chara immediately bent down to retrieve the item. Digging her hand in the unzipped pouch, her fingers touched cold metal. Must be it.

And indeed it was. She was face to face with a fancy silver watch, ticking ever so softly.

 

Once she offered it to him, he harshly snatched it from her hand, and set his gaze upon it. His brows then furrowed.

 

"Let's get going." he ordered whilst wrapping the watch around his left wrist, and secured it with a soft click. With everything packed, they resumed their path, with the previously boring silence.

 

Eventually, they came across a maid. She was some sort of a fuchsia fire monster, wearing a black dress, its edges trimmed with gold, and a pure white, frilly apron, making her overall look elegant and fluffy at the same time. An awfully familiar symbol was sewed where her heart would be- the same symbol that she has on her very own "outfit".

The woman set down the feather duster that was between her grasp and turned to Asriel. Hands together, she bowed down saying "Good morning, Your Royal Highness."

 

It most definitely surprised Chara that Asriel took the time to respond to the servant, knowing him during their short amount of time together "Yeah. 'morning."

 

But despite his kind gesture, he still said it in a rushed manner, trying to avoid her but at the same time…respect her? He didn't even respect his own mother, so how…? Why?

The fire woman lifted her head, her face still and read nothing. And just before Asriel was about to turn around the corner, the maid's voice once again interrupted "How may I help the prince today?" she spoke in the most robotic way.

 

Chara noticed Asriel pause, lifted his head up while sucking in some oxygen, eyes shut tight.

 

"No. I don't. You can go now."

 

The maid only nodded replying "As the prince likes" and continued with her work. Only Chara's gaze lingered on the monster, watching her work efficiently, even her moves were graceful.

As she was dusting a painting's frame, her elbow slightly pushed a nearby vase, making it nearly topple.

One…two hits…three-

And Chara didn't know how it happened- but she found herself running towards the falling item, nearly missing by a hair.

The woman looked startled, eyeing her for a moment, while Chara adjusted her grip of the massive vase between her frail hands.

 

The fire maid stepped away for the girl to replace the vase to its proper spot. She watched her from the corner of her eye, the maid silently observing this… new being. She most definitly didn't recognize her, there are probably no monster who looked like her. Their eyes then met, her inner self panicked, but as not to make anything awkward, Chara steped back, and gave the woman a gentle smile. She seemed to accept it with a small curl of her lips as well. With that through, she turned back to Asriel-

 

-who had a very, oh so very, displeased and annoyed look. His arms were crossed against his chest and his foot tapping as rapid as a hare would. She wasted no time and hurried by his side, only to have him forcefully grab her wrist. Swallowing a wince, she then was pulled by the angry goat prince.

 

Chara twisted her head back to the servant, who gently waved, mouthing a "thank you".

It made the small girl's heart flutter, a bashful red colored her face, but the sweet smile never left her face. She felt…happy. She didn't know why. Was it because she felt useful for once? Useful, in the _right_ way? Happy because… **she's not a screw up. A mistake wanted to be erased. Happy because she did something she doesn't deserve to ~~cut herself for.~~**

 

"You _dumbass_ that was the complete opposite of what I told you!" Asriel ranted, still pulling Chara from the wrist, which she refused to complain about "I clearly warned you about interacting with ANYONE in this place!"

 

His loud voice echoed through the empty hall, scolding her. She silently tried to ignore the vulgar insults, because if she didn't…well, she might end up weeping.

And he continued like this, without even giving her a glance. She actually thought that it was a great, since she won't have the chance to look at his disgustingly, yet fluffy face again. How could someone be a combination of the two? That, she decided not to question.

 

But…was he really _that_ angry? Or is he simply trying to look…uh, let's say, _powerful_?

 

Should she tell him that it only made him look stupid and annoying.

 

But the goat eventually went quiet, he paused to look at his watch, then turned to Chara, placing a finger on his lips and hushed her.

 

He peeked around a corner, eyeing a certain door, then looked back to his watch. Could it be? The office? The one that they'll mess with? Chara could only timidly hide behind Asriel. Even the loud thumps of her heart were heard due to this silence.

 

She was confused. She was afraid. She was anxious. All these multiple feelings spinning in her head made her view hazy, head pounding. She wanted to hold on to something, she wanted to hold someone, she wanted someone to hold her.

She wanted Toriel to hold her.

But she's not here. She's a number of floors above her. That's anywhere else but _here._

But Asriel is. Asriel is _here_.

 

She swallowed. Would it be okay? He was still peering at the door, completely concentrated. She could…yeah…she could simply reach out…

Her slender hand stretched out, slowly and hesitantly, so unsure of her option, but so in need to _feel real_ at the moment. She'll do it. She will. It's just a bit hard and challenging…

Time has then decided to slow down, to make her current goal seem further than before, harder to reach. Her face flushed, but she was still **determined** to reach out. Breath heavy, her fingers finally-

 

"Heh…finished early, eh Angie?" Chara's breath hitched at Asriel's sudden voice "I knew you were a good girl." he mumbled fondly to himself.

 

She didn't know if it was the sinister way he spoke his recent sentences, a mockery of a fictional villain, that nearly made her heart stop, or his sudden movement before that. Either way, it didn't matter now, because based on how Asriel spun to her with his wide grin meant that their mission's on go.

 

They approached the door, Asriel , obviously, impatiently grabbed the golden doorknob and pushed the door open. Chara started to wonder if he did this on daily bases.

 

They were met with a finely tidy room, the furniture sparkling, not a speck of dust was in sight. Their feet met a bright red rug, just simply _clean._ This… Angie person sure works way past hard- everything seemed in place, even if she had never seen this place up until now.

 

Asriel stood in the middle of the, his large smirk never leaving his face. He dropped his bag on the floor, and dug in its pouches. He pulled out a crumbled cookie, and fisted it until it was nothing more than crumbs in his palm.

The boy then opened his hand a little, and began sprinkling the cookie specks all over the bright carpet. _So THAT'S what the cookie was for!_

"Come on!" he shouted rather aggressively "We have no time to waste!"

 

Chara approached slowly, but had no idea what to do. Or simply didn't _want_ to do it. It earned a groan from Asriel "Look, the least thing you could do is keep a watch out, 'kay?" and he returned to his rampaging.

She let out a sigh of relief. Her new mission sounded _much_ more pleasant, because, even if Asriel _did_ wipe the knife on her, at least she truly didn't do it.

 

P-pfft, yeah. Risking death over something you didn't do is _so_ relieving.

 

…

 

Or maybe it was the contraire…? Maybe if they did get in trouble, and she really _did_ do something, and as punishment her head would be cut off- _would that mean freedom?_

**~~Better than those lousy cuts, at least~~ **

****

She ran up to Asriel, who was currently removing books from their shelves and tossing them on the desk's surface. He perked his head up.

 

"Could…could I help in any way?" she blurted out, and Asriel looked pretty surprised.

 

"…thought I told you to keep an eye out." he coldly replied.

 

"Give me something simple then." the monster still didn't look convinced so she added "I could still do both at once. We'll finish early too." Asriel stood still for a moment, his sharp pupils staring at her, making her feel so vulnerable and small, but ended up huffing out a "fine."

He then handed her a small, silver bowl…thing, containing some black powder; squinting her eyes, she discovered some cigarette butts.

Her eyes widened in realization- she saw these before! In fact, she had one back home. Well, not her, but her owners did.

 

"Empty it," Asriel ordered "anywhere." and he went back to the desk, opening one of its drawers and emptying its contents.

She held the cold metal object in her hands, watching it closely, then gripped it tightly. She'll do it. She really will…she just …needs to close her eyes, yeah, just close them.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she lifted the ashtray high in the air and launched it at a random direction.

 

And a crash was heard.

 

Chara blinked her eyes open, twisted her head to Asriel, who was looking back and forth at her, and the other side of the room, jaw dropped, eyes wide.

 

Looking to where he was staring, bits of a statue decorated the floor. The ash tray must've knocked it off the pedestal it rested on. But not only that, the ash splattered on the flower-print wall, turning it from a pearl white to a dusty grey.

 

A chuckle escaped from Asriel "Well, that was totally legit." he snickered, but his amused face didn't last long. They heard some voices echoing from the hall, almost inaudible; but both children definitely heard "Let's take a look."

 

Chara froze, frightened while Asriel was quick to duck beneath the desk "C'mon!" he said in a semi-whisper, head peeking out a bit to see his subordinate stand there dumbly "Get the hell in here!"

Snapping back to reality, she scrambled  to Asriel's hideout, only to stop halfway and looked back- _Asriel's backpack._

She ran back to fetch it, stumbled a bit when she carried it, surprised by its weight, but completely ignored it and ran to the hiding spot.

 

"What the actual he--oomph! "

 

And literally threw her and the bag's weight onto poor Asriel.

 

Being collapsed into each other was already a struggle, forcing themselves to not move in order to keep as much quiet as possible, and trying to ignore each other's breath while they panted heavily. And on top of that, the disturbing round bag between them, hitting Chara right in the pit of her stomach and between Asriel's legs.

It was the oddest, most uncomfortable and most certainly humiliating position for the both of them.

 

"Ugh, move a bit further, _pet._ " Asriel complained, as if it was the perfect time to. If she could, she would be more than happy to keep a distance of five feet between them. But god, _circumstances._

She let out a huff "Can't." she shifted her weight, trying to accomplish his desire without making too much noise, but ended up doing the complete opposite, and had her head landing onto the monster's chest "Just hold on a little." she whispered back.

He groaned, and she simply ignored.

 

Everything was silent except for the incoming footsteps, Asriel's heartbeat and…ticking? Soft ticking… _from Asriel's watch._

"Watch." she whispered. The goat looked at her puzzled, but then understood and quickly swapped his hand from its previous spot "Pull the trigger on its side. It'll stop." he ordered, and Chara obeyed.

It kind of made her spirit lift up seeing them…quietly work together, rather than the raging goat monster from yesterday.

 

The footsteps entered, and Asriel slapped his hand on his mouth when the intruder (funny…aren't they the intruders here?) gasped rather loudly.

 

"Oh dear…Dante…come, come! This is just … _awful._ " a sweet feminine voice called the said "Dante".

 

"What may there--oh," a deep, elderly male voice said, assuming Dante "My, my…this isn't good."

 

Chara's heart pounded in fear, she heard Asriel's too. Oh she was so ready to flee, but she decided to be patient, just for the moment. She heard Asriel difficultly swallow, his eyes landed on her, wide an shocked, hand still covering his muzzle.

 

"Goodness," the female once again spoke "who would dare to even _knock_ at Mister Hambledon's door? Let alone… _destroy_ his office…"

 

"Many detest that monster…" Dante mumbled a reply.

 

The woman took a few steps into the room, her heels leaving gentle taps "We should look around, gather some clues," the woman had a cheerful tone to her voice "we might find the culprit even!" she clapped excitedly. Chara's breathe hitched, clutching Asriel's sweater, while the prince shut his eyes firmly.

 

_Why so worried when I'm the one who'll get in trouble anyway?_

"Are you mad, Fiona?!" Dante exclaimed "That man is already suspicious of everybody, do you really want to lurk in his place and want him to actually believe it was some other monster?"

 

"But it really wasn't us…"

 

"I adore your passion for crime solving, Fiona," he said with warmth, yet his voice slightly shivered "but there is one thing you should learn about castle lives; _never_ fall into its web fetish drama, my dear. Stay out of it. Please."

 

Fiona remained silent, which made Dante speak up again "Look, we'll leave this place be, and when he comes…he'll blame the person who was responsible of cleaning this in the first place, isn't that right?"

 

Fiona took a deep breath before responding in defeat "Yeah…guess you're right." Dante sighed in relief "Perfect. Now let us get going, we should move as far as possible from this area…"

 

They waited patiently until they footsteps were no longer audible.

 

Asriel dropped his hand to the floor and heaved a sigh. Both children took a nice moment of stable silence, their once tense muscles released, a way to celebrate their small victory.

Until Asriel roughly shoved Chara off of him, sending her out of their hiding place.

Both silently got up and brushed their clothes, Asriel slipped his backpack on.

 

"How scary is that man?" Chara found herself asking.

 

Instead of an insult, the prince casually responded "Consider him Dad's friend."

Chara almost chocked on her own saliva. _Friend? That's new. They must be almost equally powerful._

"He's a complete ass," he growled "but we'll deal with him some other day. For now, let's get the hell out of here."

 

The remaining color on her face drained.

 

_"We"? Oh no. No no no no no no, not another one of these missions…_

Her high hopes had just witnessed a plane crash. Framing someone was once a huge task to her, but getting rid of someone as feared as the king was not what she signed up for. She's better off with dusting furniture.

 

But … looking back to where she first confronted Asgore, maybe there's a chance he's less feared than the king. No, he certainly _is._ Maybe…just maybe…

 

"Uh… _let's go._ " Asriel repeated, and she emotionlessly followed.

 

No, what was she thinking. She's a lousy human who can't even walk straight. She was nothing like those courageous heroines in popular stories, she was simply…simply…

 

**~~a mistake wanting to be forgotten.~~ **

****

Their next stop was where Asriel's training was supposes to be done. The goat boy demanded her to sit on a nearby bench and wait there until he was done, and with that, Asriel opened the door and entered to begin with his training.

 

It felt like eternity, she'd often hear some of his high screeches of anger, which were now something she her mind will always replay thanks to him. Some metal clanking, some bursts she couldn't explain, and maniacal laughs of victory which got her questioning if he had some sort of brain damage this morning for breakfast.

 

As she was butting the back of her head on the wall, Asriel emerged from the room, wearing his signature smirk despite the exhaustion consuming him. And with that, they went back home, only using a different path.

Chara assumed it was to avoid the little crime scene they made.

 

Returning home, Toriel greeted them with the warmest of greetings and invited them to the table for lunch. Asriel dropped his things and ran to the kitchen. He really is hungry, eh?

 

"Don't forget to wash your hands!" Toriel called after him, then turned to Chara "You too, my child. You look awfully hungry as well."

 

Her cheeks flushed when Toriel offered her hand, and shyly took it. And she was right, she was _starving._

Hands washed, the three took a seat and began their meal.

Asriel and his mother passed conversations, mainly about his training. All he would say was how great and strong he fought and how he "took him in one blow", and Toriel would only smile and give him words of encouragement.

 

"And you, my child," Chara looked up from her food to see Toriel speak to her "how was your "walk" with Asriel?"

 

She slightly began to sweat. She wasn't expecting a question… _that_ question.

 

_Oh, yeah. It was cool, him and I went up and screwed up someone's office to frame someone else. And I broke a statue too, fun day it was._

"My pet doesn't deserve to be asked if it had fun or not," Asriel interrupted, mouth full "it should be thankful that I took it out, end of the story."

 

Toriel gave her son a half-lidded gaze before returning to Chara, awaiting her response.

 

"…Nice." she said, but realized that her answer was too short and added "Lots of pretty flowers on the way."

 

Toriel gave her a gentle smile "Glad you enjoyed it."

 

And she resumed her serving of food, thoughts drifting back to their little mission. She didn't…want to do it, but she did…how… how on earth did she convince herself to play that jerk's game?! And he actually told her to simply keep a look out, but she _refused_. She went ahead and destroyed a freaking statue, and then she'd say it was "against her own will". No…she had a choice, and she decided to go along with Asriel…why…why do this?

 

She felt disgusted of herself. They should've been caught. She should've been caught. Then punished. Then gone. _Gone forever._

_…_

 

_But maybe this is a new chance?_

Maybe…she wouldn't do such things anymore…she could make a promise, promise herself to not join Asriel's mischief acts, and stay out of it. It made her feel a bit better. She could forget what they did earlier, she could forget the consequences, forget _Angie._

She'll start anew, no matter what other awful things Asriel has in mind, she'll avoid them.

 

She promised herself to do so, right?

 

 

 

 

 

**Oh who was she kidding**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, chill there, Chara >_>
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! 'cuz I sure am pooped...72 pages fam...
> 
> And feel free to drop some suggestions down in the comment box below, who knows-maybe I'll use one of them in future chapters~
> 
> Love? Hate? Asks? here's mah Tumblr for y'all-don't be shy to say hi!: https://nada-noodle.tumblr.com/
> 
> Pssssst... check out Felltale Au by @baepsae10 on Tumblr-it's awesome!


	6. Frosting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something sweet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why, hello there again!
> 
> Yeah, I know I kept some of you waiting for waaaaay too long, but, y'know, SCHOOL. Some shit happened there and it was hard to stay focused on studying, as well as some stress for upcoming exams, but it's all over now! And to make it up for you I made a pretty lengthy chapter, around 5.9K...while they're usually 4.5 to 5K max. 
> 
> Anyhow, I'd like to give a special thanks to my buddy rainy-poppy on Tumblr for helping me out of my writer's block, like seriously bruh, thanks! (psssssssst..follow them if you cherish your life XD)
> 
> Now, enjoy this chapter filled with fluff! :D

## 

 

Standing in the pool of broken, sacrificed toys, Chara let out a sigh of exhaustion and allowed her head to drop. He did it, _again_.

Asriel had decided to play with his large selection of toys again, although, it was more destroying them. He often liked to play as the "mad scientist" and run "experiments" on his so called patients; scissors, nails, and a whole sewing kit by his side, along with other different tools, he'd fuse a robot with a stuffed lion, cut of a doll's head and gave it "killer legs" as the goat prince declared himself, and the list goes on. It was such a horrifying view, having to witness such disaster, soft plush toys having their bodies torn into two separate pieces, her hand would often jerk and grab her frail chest, as if _she_ was the one being ripped.

She knelt down and started picking up the dolls. After playtime, it was her job to clean up the mess His Royal Highness made, except the tools, those are put away by himself in a black metal box he keeps under his bed. He never told Chara anything about it, and he seems awfully secretive whenever he pulls it from beneath his bed, as well as it having a lock, so as usual, she decided to ignore it.

It's been weeks since she had been staying at the _Dreemurr's_ home, her daily activities include serving Asriel _in any way._ Whether it be by cleaning his room, doing _his_ chores (Toriel would often make him do some as punishment for his misbehavior) or holding his camcorder while he ran experiments on the doll patients.

 

Chara clipped the doll's decapitated body between her shoulder and jaw while trying to pile up more stuffed toys in her arms to hasten up the pace, whilst being careful not to spill any of the cotton on the floor, creating another mess to clean afterwards. How…could he? She felt her heart slightly ache with every wrecked plaything she gathered. Look at all these amazing toys this spoiled goat-kid owns, and _this_ is how he treats them? She says this as if they were living beings with feelings and emotion, she looked down with sympathy she had never felt toward a _real_ human being. And if said toys really were alive, she wondered, how would they feel now?

 

Most likely hurt and lost. _Just like her._

Call it jealousy if you want, but Asriel really is lucky to have such amount of knick-knacks to keep him occupied. She didn't get the chance to have one-or did she, and just couldn't recall? Wow. She truly is forgetting her past; might as well continue until she becomes a nobody. Maybe even thrown away. Disposed of .

 

Just like…Angie.

 

Speaking of which, she had been fired the same day they framed her, Asriel had eavesdropped on his parents' conversation later that night, his furry head on the smooth surface of the door, and his wide grin was permanently stamped into her memory. She had been right behind him, shivering in her newly owned shirtdress she now sleeps in, she said it thousands of times, and she'll say it again- she does _not_ want to be anywhere near Asgore. But there she is, a door away from the frightening king.

All she did to keep her mind away from… _unpleasant_ things is staring at Asriel's short, fluffy tail, swaying from side to side in a rapid rhythm that most likely matched his heartbeat.

 

Because he accomplished something. She didn't know if he considered it "tough" or "challenging", but he did something, whether it was good or bad didn't matter, he achieved something that he had set in mind. Unlike her, who couldn't even plan a decent escape strategy.

 

Man, she literally _sucks._

Although, the guilt that weighed her heart 'til it sank is still there, _haunting._

Turning back from the toy chest, her vision fell upon a dirty, white rabbit; its condition wasn't as bad as the others', for it still being in one piece. Huh, Asriel must've forgotten about it. Oddly interested, she crawled towards the rodent toy, and gently picked it up, her slender fingers caressing its ragged fur, then fiddling with its loose ears. Her thumb gradually slipped to the tattered, bowtie, flicking it a little. Unknowingly, she brought it closer to her chest, the doll now being cradled in her delicate arms, ever so carefully as if it were thin crystal or glass instead of cotton and cloth.

The girl found herself lost into its beaded eyes, a small glint could be seen due to the light source above, a finger tenderly pressed its nose. She really liked bunnies, she has never seen one except in the pictures of fairytale books, but she really wanted to hold one, were they as soft as they looked? Were they as friendly as they are portrayed in children's stories? The only bunny she's seen so far was…a butchered one…for sale, she was never interested in eating such adorable creatures and promised herself to refuse if offered, yet, everyone loved them. As food.

 

Chara shivered at the thought. Cute and frail critters should be loved, right?

 

But it doesn't work that way. Not in this world.

 

**_The weak shall kneel, and the strong shall rise._ **

****

She brought the stuffed animal closer to her face, her cheek brushing against the faux fur, then nuzzled it. It wasn't _soft_ but it still felt nice, _real_ nice, she could just..take a nap on it any moment…

Her eyelids drooped, being forced to stay up at night was the worst, her eyes would burn and feel tingly, all just for- _wait. What_ exactly did Asriel keep her awake for? Something about keeping an eye on his gadgets and that binder until he placed it back. Water, and…make her sleep in the morning, and give him an excuse to criticize…and slap her when his mother isn't around.

 

The merciful punishment.

 

A cold hand slithered to touch her cheek, still feeling the stinging pain there, if she remembered correctly, it had left a temporal red mark. Sensitive skin is the worst. Nevertheless, she closed her eyes, appreciating the calm darkness, cradling her, blanketing her…it felt nice, she missed this feeling, the feeling of being safe, and with no worries at all. The last time she had witnessed such glory she had been too young to understand her surroundings; too young to remember the words **she** had sung to put Chara to sleep, too young to identify the sharp sounds that were made behind her back-

 

_The door was burst open._

 

"Get your sorry _ass_ over here already!" the cottontail prince roared, Chara's body had bolted up in shock, loudly gasped as her bloodshot eyes stared at the intruder "Mom's been calling you-don't keep your queen waiting any longer, _pet!_ " And with that, he ran down the hallway.

 

Had…did that just happen? More importantly- _did she really fall asleep?_

Well, better not keep royalties waiting, right? Her hand trailed from her beating chest to her baggy eyes and gave them a quick rub to look more…fresh, should she say? Didn't matter.

 

She made her way to the kitchen, where Toriel would usually be during this time of day, Asriel would be leaning on the wall, arms crossed- _but this time, he wasn't._ Instead, he was very close to his mother, watching her work capably on…she looked over to the side, then stood on her toes…was that another yummy cake? Seems like she was smoothing out the icing…the _chocolate_ icing.

 

Chocolate-of course! No wonder the kitchen smelled so tasty! It always does, but somehow, it smelled much more delicious, to the point she might consider it a gingerbread house.

 

Both goat monsters turned around, Toriel gave her a gentle smile- _as usual,_ while Asriel snarled "What the-exactly why'd ya have to bring that _damned_ thing with you?! Isn't it enough that you didn't finish one simple task?!"

 

Wait, what…thing-oh.

 

_Oh._

She looked down to her hand, only to notice the bunny in her tight grip. Her eyes widened and she felt her face flush in embarrassment. her head shot back to Asriel's direction, brows furrowed, lips quivering, trying to find a reasonable justification, but only stuttered, until Asriel marched up and snatched the plush from her "Ya serious walking around with this shit?!"

 

" _Asriel Dreemurr."_

The prince flinched at his mother's menacing tone, and quickly adjusted himself. Toriel only chuckled softly, turning back to the cake "Chara could have the rabbit, right, dear?" Asriel stared at her, jaw dropped; his mother responded with another giggle "Why that face? Aren't you a bit too old for it? Besides, Chara seems quite fond of it."

 

She glanced at her son, who only heaved a gruff sigh, turning away from the former queen as he shoved the stuffed animal back to the girl's hands.

 

"Anyways," Toriel spoke up after a few seconds of silence, she was now adding some strawberries on top, which are skillfully sliced to looked like roses- _potential_ "Asgore and I will have to go somewhere, the two of you are obliged to stay in the house for a while…" she trailed off, sucking in some air. The queen then carried the chocolate dessert to the fridge.

 

No way- _they'll be left alone?_ Not that it didn't happen before, but the way she said it sounded…"a while" sounded much more longer than anticipated.

She swallowed. How is she going to handle… _that_ thing for a handful of hours?

 

"Wait," Asriel interfered "you guys have some sort of meeting -which I don't really care about- on Dad's birthday? Didn't he-oh, hang on a sec; he forgot that today's his birthday, right?"

 

Despite the sad sigh, the goat monster still grinned "It's an advantage for us, then! It shall make it easier to throw a surprise party!" she beamed. That's right, it was today. She …almost forgot, but it didn't have much of an impact on her. Yet, she did write him a birthday card- with the help of Toriel of course.

They had used "study time" to prepare a few days ago, while she was still unfamiliar with writing in monster language (Toriel insisted on teaching her) the queen helped her, since it was the only type of present she is able to offer, and it went as so:

 

**_As the most admirable monster_ **

**_living underground_ **

**_I wish the happiest of birthdays_ **

**_to the fairest kings of all_ **

****

She hoped this will satisfy him, because she sure was, that reading she did back home really paid off; but most of all, she was glad that she'll be avoiding another "disrespecting the king". And even if she didn't show it, she still felt the woman's anxious gaze upon her.

Asriel made a card as well to go with his present, regardless of him not telling what he had written, she was pretty sure he was apologizing for breaking his favorite fountain pen. You see, the prince adores collecting things- things that are not meant to be touched, or "hard to get" as he put it; the human was pretty sure that it had another meaning. Such items are considered awards to the boy's eyes, and he happened to "borrow" his father's favorite pen, breaking it afterwards to claim it as his. That's…what Asriel had told her. The writing instrument must've been pretty fancy and expensive for the king himself to rage.

 

The goat woman placed the now ready cake in the fridge and spun to the children's direction "I have made you two some sandwiches for lunchtime," she said, pointing to two pairs of diagonally sliced sandwiches, and as delicious they looked with the white, soft looking bread and the colorful ingredients in between, Chara couldn't keep her eyes from dropping down to the dark chocolate treat below, the berries glowing fire truck red; even _Asriel_ was on the verge of drooling, even though he preferred the classic snail pie. Yuck.

 

"…and," she continued "hopefully we should not take time, but if we were to do so, please remain at your best behavior."

 

"Candles?" Asriel questioned "What would a birthday cake be without candles? And we have a freaking master chef a few floors down- why can't we hold a huge party like _royalties_ do?!" his arms flew up. Yet, Toriel only shook her head "Your father doesn't want anything too fancy and sees it unnecessary to make a big deal out of it." she let out a small sigh "As well as he prefers my cooking over any dish made by another."

The girl didn't know if her eyes were tricking her, but for a brief moment, Toriel's cheeks slightly flushed a pretty pink (however _that_ works on fur) looking somewhat… lost in space…not until Asriel made some gagging noises.

 

"OH MY GOD MOM!" he shrieked " Keep that for you and Amalfried's next date or something! I'm sure he'll sing you something in return-"

 

 

The small blush had now spread across Toriel's face, her eyes widened in shock, and her brows furrowed in anger before bawling out "ASRIEL, he is nothing more than a citizen whom I admire and encourage! I'll have you know that I am _married_ , my boy, and even if I am your mother by blood, I am still _queen!_ This is an act of disrespect, _young man_!"

 

She was panting heavily now, her beet colored face started to fade, she was probably calming down, but the shocked expression on Chara's face froze into place, _never has she seen the queen get angry, she had been a very forgiving and peaceful person during her stay._ Asriel, on the other hand, just stuck out his tongue before rushing out of the kitchen.

 

The mother heaved a sigh before turning to Chara "I…I'll go get dressed, Asgore will come escort me in a couple of minutes, please take care while I'm gone." she pat her head and left.

 

By the time the human had finished cleaning the room Asriel had scolded her about, Toriel was dressed in the most dazzling gown she's ever seen up to now, accompanied with a tiara with sparkling clear gems, and a crimson cape on her shoulders, _similar to her husband's._

Toriel had kissed them both goodbye before she wrapped her arm around Asgore, snuggled briefly and left, for good.

 

Asriel stood at the entryway for a couple of minutes, the silence worried his subordinate, making her fidget uncomfortably before jerking her head to his voice.

 

"You know, even if they do have some sort of meeting, it's not the real reason they're going out." he almost muttered those last words, and the tone in his voice was far from how he usually stated his facts, his head had slightly dropped down before he left for the hallway.

 

And he didn't call for her to follow.

 

But, having nothing better to do, she ran to his room, finding him seated at his desk, head on the furniture's surface, not really staring at anything in particular. She walked in, and went over to her nightstand, it had been really useful for storing her belongings, all thanks to the miracle, Toriel.

From atop, was her new plush rabbit, she brought it to her chest like earlier, and stroked its fur while giving the bored Asriel a couple of glances from the corner of her eye. He didn't seem to give her any mind, no remark, just him lost in his thoughts. Seated on her bed, neither infant spoke, and rather remained still for an unknown amount of time, Chara was silently brainstorming a name for her new friend, then her thoughts would drift to the Asriel's odd mood, then back to naming, back and forth they went- until the boy eventually got up.

 

"'m hungry."

 

Chara stared at him for a few seconds, not sure if him finally speaking suddenly made things better, or why she was concerned in the first place. She then looked down to her lap and mumbled "S-so am I…"

 

"Asshole, that meant go get me lunch." he snapped back at her, and she scrambled to her feet and sped to the kitchen.

Pulling out their meal, the girl couldn't help but stare at the chocolate goodness, fighting the dirty urge to lick the frosting, due deep respect to Toriel, and not to mess with the king's cake, and focused on delivering lunch.

 

After handing him his serving, she went back to her mattress, placing the plate on her lap and nibbled her food, chewing slowly. Asriel didn't touch his, though, and simply stared. This bothered her more than anything else at the moment, wasn't he the snobby, bossy brat?! What's with this attitude? Yet, she quietly bit into her sandwich, unable to adapt the young prince's silence.

 

Asriel shoved his plate to the mess of textbooks and stood up, hands gripping- _clawing_ the desk's edge "You…"

She had just finished eating when he spoke, and was now licking her fingers clean. The human stopped to pay attention, in hopes he'll reveal what's bothering him.

 

And since when were _you_ concerned about _him?_

 

"…you know that I'll make your life _hell,_ right?" his voice was gradually getting louder "You know, that when I'm King, you'll be pissing your pants!

 

"I'll be nothing like Dad- I'll be a living nightmare, I'll make everyone show deep _respect_ , way better than _he_ does!

 

"I…I'm more than just "good enough" to be a ruler- I am _Prince Asriel Dreemurr,_ son of the most feared king, _Asgore._ Treating me like a kid is unforgivable! _You'll_ be the one beneath me once crowned.

 

"…humans…all of them will vanish with one flick- _by me_. This is just a reminder with who you're dealing with, 'cause once I rule the underground, I'll show them how I'll execute humanity, starting with _you._ " with a claw, he pointed at her.

 

…

 

"Well…that's if I live until then," Chara squeaked.

 

The boy, simply bewildered by Chara's response, let his jaw drop, having no clue how to respond, but continued, the corners of her mouth peaked a little "And until then, you're free to do whatever you want with me…I… I'm just a puny human, right?" she didn't know how she had come up with that, nor why she said it in the first place, but reduce the awkwardness that just struck her, she smiled sheepishly.

 

"Just…what are you, exactly?"

 

His face showed complete confusion and disbelief, and for the first time, Chara was able to look at him in the eye, stare at its structure and comparing it to a painting you'll find in a museum, if only he knew, how unique they'd look in front of ordinary human eyes.

 

"Well, I'm your pet, obviously."

 

It was evident that her words has struck him due to being unable to respond once more, and striking another expression, confused, mixed with defeat, yet anger. He tried to cover it with a scoff, and stomped out of the room afterwards.

 

She looked over his food. Seems like he won't be eating it.

 

She wondered, did…his father do something to upset him?

 

Although, she remained seated, awaiting his return. After it has seemed like he won't be coming back, she grabbed the plate to restore it, food shouldn't go to waste. She had thought of eating it, having her serving didn't keep her stomach from growling, but held the urge- Asriel was already in a mood.

 

As she walked down the hallway, some noise emerged, it was quiet, yes; but she can _still_ hear it.

Her curiosity itched, making her walk at a faster pace than before, hard shoes making soft tapping as she did so. And by the time she had reached the living room-

 

…

 

_W-what is this?!_

 

\- a half eaten chocolate cake was in front of Asriel, who's mouth was full to the point his cheeks popped out it a laughable way, his eyes were somewhat watery- _as if he had been crying,_ and his hand clasped to the fork tightly.

 

"A-Asriel-"

 

"Dare to repeat that?"

 

 _R-really?!_ "Your Royal Highness- that was m-meant for the king! What if your parents come back and-"

 

"Doesn't matter," he cut her off again "that ass-face doesn't deserve a cake _this_ good-" he stuffed his mouth with more chocolate goodness "-'s too good for him."

 

She felt a pit in her stomach- how the hell are they going to explain to the monster couple?! Coming in, and finding a half-assed birthday cake for the king's birthday, _she most definitely doesn't want to attend that._ And to top it off- the knife's going to be wiped on her. Yeah, happy birthday to Asgore, and happy deceasing to her.

 

It's not fair, hasn't already paid the price for existing? Now pay for what _he_ has been doing?! God dammit…this may be farewell…

On second thought, she could be a bit more positive- she could get the living shit beaten out of her, and remain alive. Sure, she won't mind a few broken limbs… ** ~~heh,~~** she's endured pain for so long, why not continue?

 

**~~She's a ragdoll after all.~~ **

****

Something pinched her heart though, making it painfully twist…no, there _has_ to be another way, she **refused** to let things be.

 

She'll find a way out.

 

The girl confront Asriel, she sucked in some air and talked, trying to keep her voice steady "I…I don't know what's up with you," that earned the monster's attention "or what happened between you and your father, but…making a mess like this, it'll only make him angrier," she paused, hoping that Asriel got the message, but he only raised a brow.

 

She huffed, it's going to take more than just that, huh? She clapped her hands together and bowed down "Please," she plead "I think you're already too…troubled, and I doubt that you'll be able to handle your parents' anger too; we could do something to prevent it while we still have time, _Master._ "

 

She couldn't look up, she squeezed her eyes shut- _he should agree, he'd be stupid if he didn't,_ yet if he did turn her down, she'll just prepare for the worst.

Her ears heard nothing more than her thick saliva down her throat and her grinding teeth, just _praying_ for the positive.

 

He huffed, and gave her a sly smirk "You don't say? What's the so-called plan of yours?"

Her head jerked up, eyes on the verge of tears, she only let out a small gasp and gave him a smile of relief, but deep inside, she threw a colorful party.

 

"We're baking." she said, firmly.

 

_________________

Chara faced the big door, she was very nervous and hesitant to enter, it was in fact the _king's_ room, and the more she thought about it the more she refused to enter.

She and Asriel scavenged the bookcase for the proper cook book, yet had no luck in finding the exact recipe, so the boy suggested that she'd look in Toriel's room while he fetch the main ingredients, when she stuttered refusal, he scolded her about being thankful that her _master_ is helping out to finish as soon as possible.

 

She touched the shiny doorknob, her heart skipped a beat, then gripped it, _there's no turning back- you've came this far!_ with a sharp inhale, she turned it, and pushed her way in.

 

She was met with a blur of dusty rose.

 

The classic color was the main theme of the room, rather than the red, grey and gold, and it was rather refreshing to see the change.

The couple did have taste, though.

 

She slowly stepped in, quietly, as if the room would fall apart otherwise, and her eyes scanned her surroundings. Oh, she could stay and admire the foreign, cozy room all day, but she tried to limit her interest…in jumping in the oversized bed. She wondered if she'll sink into the mattress from softness.

 

Closest to her, she found a desk and an open book- maybe that's it! She rushed over to take a closer look…but apparently, it was a journal. The human cocked her head at the bizarre ink writing, scrunching her nose while at it, confused and unable to decipher, but after glancing at it for a good amount of time, it was written in monster. Well, not only she sucks at it, but the writing was so curved and detailed that from a certain distance, the words looked more of slashes with a sprinkle of dots here and there. Discouraged, she went back to searching.

In a short span of time, she spotted another book, its cover appeared to be glossy pink. The infant walked over to the towering dresser and stood on the tips of her toes, stretching her arm as well. Her hand patted the surface, and her tongue slipped through her lips in concentration, until her fingers touched the glazed hardcover, with a pull, the book fell into her hands.

She smiled to herself when the cover had a picture of some sweet pastries, _this was it._ Closing the door behind her, she hugged the manual and dashed to the kitchen.

 

"Hey- didn't I tell you you'll find it there?" Asriel carefully placed the flour package on the countertop then dusted his paws clean "Mom usually leaves books that she's reading in her room."

Now that he mentioned that- they could've saved so much time if he said it earlier! Yet, Chara dismissed the thought and joined him.

 

He had prepared most of the ingredients, including milk, eggs, flour, sugar, cacao powder, chocolate and strawberries. It…should be enough, now they needed to find the right recipe.

Standing on stools, the two flipped through the laminated pages of the cookbook, searching for the image that corresponded with the first cake, some other deserts made them pause and admire the treat, licking their lips as their mouths watered, then resume the search. Apparently, the last pages contained chocolate desserts only, which made them groan in exhaustion; at least they've found it…but Chara mentally face-palmed at the realization of an index.

 

She didn't want to anger Asriel anymore than he is.

 

The book, as predicted, was printed in monster, which lead to the decision of letting the prince read, and Chara work. His reading contained lots of complaints, mostly criticizing her as he lazily rest his head in his cupped hands, whilst his elbows sat on the marble counter, and the book standing with the wall for support.

Chara on the other hand, didn't really mind, up until now, most of the steps contained mixing.

 

 

"3/4 Buttercups," the goat read aloud.

 

She suddenly froze. _Buttercups? That doesn't make sense, what cake would have flowers in it?_ "What… was that again?" she tried to ask politely. Asriel only shifted "Ya deaf? I said buttercups."

She was about to question him once more, even reread the step, but discarded the idea. This is _monster_ food they were making, just because the ingredients are similar to…"human" food doesn't mean they don't have their own perks "We…don't have that."

 

"I'll go get 'em," he rolled his eyes while descending the stool "lemme go to dad's garden."

 

He came back a few minutes later with a handful of large, golden petal flowers, she gently took it from him, and set it on the surface beside her, eyeing it for a second before suggesting that they cut it into smaller pieces, the monster boy just shrugged in response, letting Chara take action.

Asriel held the pan for his subordinate while she poured the now ready mix, giving it her all to not lick the batter, looking back at the instructions, he reminded her to let it bake for 20 to 25 minutes, no more.

 

"It'll burn if we forget about it, right?" she handed him oven mittens as he opened the oven itself, he didn't consider her at all.

 

"No shit, Sherlock," he pushed the pan in, and slammed the door shut.

 

 _Sherlock?_ "You happen to know Sherlock Holmes?" she asked once again, quite excited that he knows one of her favorite fictional characters. He nodded "Some stupid geek novel from the surface, right?" although she was displeased from his response, she too nodded "It was first found in Waterfall, where you shit-head humans throw your junk." he further explained. Waterfall was a certain section of the Underground, just like the capital "New Home" (where the king's castle is situated) Hotland, Snowdin, and the Ruins, where she had fallen down; Toriel, being the kind woman she was, had explained them to her not too long ago, she had also promised to take her to their vacation home in Snowdin town, which she had spoken of fondly.

 

Moving on, the instructions said that they make the icing whilst waiting for the cake. It was pretty hard to concentrate on chopping the chocolate into smaller portions with the sweet aroma tickling her nose, yet she'd come back to reality once cuts the tips of her fingers with the sharp knife.

 

Great. After gathering all her courage to use the giant scary knife, and with Asriel's mockery too, as if _he_ could do any better.

 

Next came the melting, in which Asriel suddenly became more useful- he held the pot in his furry hands, and triggered his flimsy fire magic. Chara had backed away, afraid of the amateur magic as it spit a few sparks here and there, but managed to get pleasing results.

 

The timer turned off, and so was the cake ready. Gathering some more courage, the girl pulled down the oven door and a blast of hot air slammed her face as she immediately shut her eyes close. Oven mittens on, she brought the pan to the counter. They had a problem bringing the cake out of the pan, as it stuck to its walls, but using their handy knife achieved their goal, the edges were much more rough than they had both imagined, but maybe the use of extra icing will do the trick.

 

They finished the coating, which seemed much more easier when Toriel did it, now for the strawberries, which took gave Chara an extra amount of cuts; how in the world was Toriel so talented?! Did she do all if this effortlessly?

The result was…not as fascinating as the original cake, but for kids their age, both were pretty satisfied. Besides, if Asgore really did forget his birthday like Toriel claimed, then the party is a surprise, _which means he has no idea there was a cake in the first place._ They should get away with it…hopefully, they've struggled and fought for this, wouldn't it be unfair if they lost?

 

She'll stay **determined** , no matter what.

 

"So," Asriel said "shouldn't we get rid of the rest of the cake?" Chara gave him a questioning face as she unrolled her sleeves "Ugh, what I'm saying is that we throw it away-"

 

"N-no!" she shouted "I-I mean, we shouldn't waste food…"

 

He scoffed "What else should we do then? I'm not eating it- one more bite and I'll barf."

 

She looked around the room, and stopped when her eyes met the small fragment of cake left "Then I will, if that's okay." Asriel didn't seem too surprised and waved her off.

 

_Was…that a yes?_

After what felt like a millennium, she had finished cleaning and tidying the kitchen, something she was sort of familiar with since moving to that nasty house…she then settled on a chair, fork in hand, and the last portion of the dessert in front of her. Her fingers were prunes due to the amount of time they were under water, yet she gripped the fork tightly, ready to devour.

The flavor of the bittersweet chocolate teased her taste buds, making her kick her head back, close her eyes and moan, squirming in her seat with excitement. It was soft and light, making every bite dissolve after swallowing as if she hadn't eaten anything at all, no wonder Asriel was able to eat nearly the whole thing.

To her discontent, the cake didn't last for long, and the plate went in the kitchen sink.

 

The petite girl's muscles were now screaming in fatigue, begging her to surrender to slumber, with the last bit of energy she had, she grabbed her bunny from the nightstand, and slumped her weak form onto her mattress, snuggling the plush rabbit close to her chest. Asriel too was on his bed, he seemed to be clenching his stomach. She inwardly giggled to herself, _serves him right, eating that all alone_.

Even with all the fret and panic…today was ironically an amusing one, she baked something for the first time, Asriel wasn't as bothersome as his usual self- which she is still questioning. Thoughts came in an out…until the curtain of her eyes dropped into a peaceful slumber.

 

…

 

…..

 

 

…….

 

 

_-ara_

_wa-_

_up_

_the- c'mon_

_why won't you-_

_…_

_…_

"GET. UP. NOW!"

 

Chara's eyes shot open at the sound of Asriel's shriek as he shook her rather violently, her surroundings a blur and her senses all scrambled. She tried to reach out for him, try and tell him she couldn't understand what's going on, but nothing came out, only her eyes remained functional in the dark.

Surprisingly, her arms moved to grab his, not the best move, but at least something after the effort. But he let go, now rambling something- _something,_ but she couldn't translate what it was. What was it he was trying to say? His eyes were wide and his iris was now a thin slit, all glossy and wet; his hands reached and grabbed his ears, clawing them rather hysterically.

Her senses suddenly snapped back, she stuttered at first, but she managed to finally pronounce accurate words, and grabbed Asriel by his shoulders "W-what's going on, I can't understand anything, slow down!"

 

He stopped to look at her, his brows furrowed and his nose sniffled as he let go of his ears clutched her wrists, she ignored his claws that sunk into her flesh and listened to him mutter "What the bloody _hell_ went wrong with that cake." he growled. Their attention was then cut off with a loud, grunt of agony. She let the prince go and dashed out the door, leading Asriel's claws to scrape her skin. The girl stumbled in front of the couple's closed room, light seeped from beneath the door's gap . Her heat beat a thousand times a second, adrenaline thumping, her breathing got frantic and sweat collected on her forehead, transforming into a small bead and dropping. _What happened? And the cake? What does it have to do with-oh god, did someone get poisoned?_

And then, she heard it again.

 

Her eyes dilated, eyebrows knitted together as she shook her head multiple times

 

_Asgore's cries of pain._

She grabbed her head, let her nails dig into her scalp, and dragged them down as the tears spilled from her eyes and fell onto her knees.

 

_This can't be happening. No- she didn't poison the king, no…no, no no no no no nO NO NO NO NO-_

Her chapped lips cracked into a grin.

 

_I-It's all just a bad dream, she'll- she'll wake up, it'll all end-_

 

She scrambled to her feet and ran to the dining room, where the "party" was still set.

 

_-it'll all end._

Her joints felt rusted as she tried to move forward, staggering her way to the table-

 

_It'll all end_

-where a notably blue card was ripped to shreds.

 

 

 

**_~~It'll all end.~~ _ **

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lovely ending! :D
> 
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> Questions, comments and critiques are all welcomed! Have a nice day <3


	7. Sunshine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How far can determination take Chara?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello again! Welcome to the (delayed) Chapter 7 :D I'm really sorry, but I was horribly sick, and life thought it was funny to just throw shit at me, haha. But here it is! I really worked hard on this, so feedback would be lovely.
> 
> But before you continue- please consider taking a look at this amazing fanart by Rainy-poppy! Its so wonderful! Guve them love, goddammit!  
> http://rainy-poppy.tumblr.com/post/174033031866/nada-noodle-version-of-underfell-asriel-and
> 
> Other than that, please do enjoy!

Face buried in the palms of her hands, the woman let out a series of ugly sobs. The petite girl only cocked her head in confusion, blinking an amount of unwanted tears of her own, why she too felt like crying was a mystery to her; but as for why the _woman_ was crying was a much bigger question.

 

_Why…are you crying? It's making me cry too and I don’t like it…_

The woman sniffed and pulled her face away, her head turning to wipe her nose on the sleeve of her shoulder before coming back and continue wrapping the bandages around the child's wrist. Her eyes red and puffy, so was her nose.

She dared not to lay sight on that infant. Not even a glance, as she remained silent and focused on her work. She let out a hiccup or two, even shudder once a while…before she broke into tears once more. And it has been permanently tattooed in the girl's mind that her tears were uncontrollable, making her a crybaby. But she supposed that that was okay, since she too is a crybaby that would cry along with her.

 

"I-I'm sorry!" the adult cried out, finally letting her forehead collapse to the wooden floor, the child looked down at her, horrified. What…did she do to be sorry? "I'm sorry…so, so sorry…I'm-I'm so w-weak…y-you don't deserve- I can't-" the rest of her apologies were eaten down by more weeping.

 

…

 

The young girl grabbed the edges of the chair with two, small hands, and started to kick her little, bruised feet playfully, humming a familiar tune. It soothed the woman down, and soon got her back on her knees, neither of them speaking to each other as she brought the cotton and alcohol bottle closer, dabbing the soft material on her wounds.

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

_It stings._

And there wasn't a woman crouched in front of her, or any medical kit whatsoever. Not even a chair or a wooden floor beneath two, little feet. There was, in fact, a sparkling tiled floor, a toilet that was nearly never used, shower curtains…

 

_…and a girl, thrown in a bathtub._

Chara's still, nude body remained in the open air, her back against the bottom of the cold tub and her bare legs dangling from its edge, her head lay uncomfortably on the wall, but she didn't bother changing the painful position. _That's the point._ Her eyes stared into space and her lips slightly parted, letting air in and out, oh so gently, so quietly that if anybody who would barge in would believe she was a corpse that died crying without bothering to wipe its tears. Just another mess.

Her arms too spread open carelessly. New sets of cuts atop old ones, and in one of her sweaty palms lay an old dagger with a brown handle, the metal decorated with thin slashes of crimson liquid.

The blade…it hasn't touched her arms _only;_ it made a trip to the girl's upper portion of thigh- they too deserved punishment. And her abdomen also had its share of slicing, it would've tasted more if the coward hadn't chickened out too soon. But it had light scratches for now.

 

Her body's screams of mercy had now died down, only a few stings once she shifted, but that wasn't the problem- she could stay still all day long, no problem at all. The problem is that there's a _dying king right out that door._

 

That…mistake…that small, single, slip of misinterpretation, lead to _that_ disaster.

 

King Asgore, bedridden. Had multiple doctors visit him and could only find the cause of the poisoning-that being the yellow flowers- but not a cure. The amount was little, so he may be back on his feet with proper treatment and lots of rest, the latest doctor had said. But that's only a possibility. He may sleep and never get back up again.

 

_Die._

 

That's what she's been trying to do, but miserably fails.

 

Toriel…oh dear lord if she thought the lovely woman was a dream come true, her only _escape,_ then her hopes had fell into a well. A bottomless well.

 

Shaking, stuttering, never leaving her bedroom, and if she did, she'd curl up on the ottoman with a soft blanket. What happened to the tall, stern and lovely woman?! Who's going to protecting her now?

 

…

 

Apparently, Toriel has retired.

 

All she'd do is prepare meals for her husband and remain at his service. Sometimes counting on a maid when she's incapable. After that? She'd ignore everything around her, scribbling in that _damn notebook._ Feeding neither her son or herself…

 

Leaving Asriel on his own.

 

During the first few days, he refused to look at Chara, probably because she ratted him out when confronting Toriel about what happened, but hadn't he already slammed her face in the wall afterwards? Or was that not enough? Nevertheless, they slowly started communicating again, only a little and gruff, but…at least he recognized her, even if it was because he needed some service for himself…it felt great to be treated like a living being again.

 

Asriel had a sense of responsibility suddenly burst into him, for while Toriel took care of the king…Asriel took care of his mother, trying his best to make her eat proper meals from the Castle's chef himself, asking her in a soft tone for anything she needs…as if their roles had been swapped.

 

It was…so touching, the sad look on the boy's face as he caressed his mother's cheek, how both of his guardians fell down in an instant, leaving him alone. She felt a pang in her chest, sending a bitter…emotion? She couldn't really detect what this was…this _feeling._ But one thing for sure- deep down in her small, obscure heart she hid from everybody; she hated seeing them like this.

She too tried to talk to the woman she wanted to call _Mother_ , tried to grab her attention but ended with unsuccessful results. But the answer was obvious: He was her biological _son._ She, on the other hand, was some random human child that happened to be found by the royal family and taken in as a good for nothing servant who now may be executed for poisoning the freaking _king._

 

And currently, she remains in the bathtub, with her failed attempts to even take her life away.

 

**Give them mercy.**

…

 

**You've only caused trouble, even before you came here.**

…

 

**A troublesome brat, both underground and above.**

…

 

**Isn't it obvious?**

…

 

**You, are unwanted. You are born flawed.**

_I-I can…change-_

**The king will die because of you.**

_That wasn't me! It was his fau-_

**Don't wipe your sins on someone else! You came up with the idea in the first place! If you just use your brain for once!**

…

 

**…even if you hadn't suggested it, he would still blame you for everything…please, be real.**

…

 

**Unwelcomed in both worlds…is there anything else you could do? It'll be a matter of time until they decide to eliminate you.**

…

 

**Save yourself…**

_I.._

**It hurts, but…**

_I'm…_

**_Make it quick._ **

****

…

 

…

          

 

The worn dagger she had found abandoned and unused in the kitchen drawer had its share of her disgusting blood, the ugly liquid flowing through her body, keeping her alive through this mess. She had tried to make it leave- make it _run out._ Yet…

 

…Here she is. Still breathing. Her fingers fidgeting but unable to wrap them around the handle _and finish the job._ She can't…she can't come out alive…no...

 

**_"Did I do something bad? Is that why you're angry?...Oh…I'm sorry then…"_ **

****

**_"I'll be a good girl from now on."_ **

 

Her body suddenly jerked upwards from the memory along with a sharp inhale…blinking her eyes to keep the tears from running. She dropped her head to the side and panted as though she just ran for miles. It's just not fair- how much of a coward can she be? She had one job, a job that'll make everybody at ease. So why…?

 

A rush of agony hit Chara so fast she nearly _choked._ Well, it was about time she got back to reality anyways.

 

Ignoring the stings coming from her arms and middle, she pushed herself up with the help of her elbows to lazily peek at the door. Damn it. She didn't want to go out yet. The bloodstained bathtub seemed much more secure than the nuthouse beyond that door…but it's not safe from her thoughts.

Yeah, she'll just drown into her own pool of despair without making any real progress, besides, if she's not dying tonight then she might as well bathe just as she proposed in the first place.

Finally getting up, she head to the large mirror first, not that she likes her reflection, not a even a tad bit, but to see how far has she come…

 

Scars along her arms, scars along her thighs, scars along her ribs…

 

…And scars along her heart.

 

The dagger she once held firmly in her hand had fell at the drop of the hat, the sound of its clatter echoed. Wha…what kind of _animal_ is she?

 

She stared at the disfigured body of hers, her chapped lips slightly parted to let in more air, as if it were foreign. Her face scrunched up in disgust- how many kids her age would even _dare_ to do this? Apparently, one: her.

 

Her fingers traced each fresh marking, flinching if she'd press too hard on it. The girl has been taught at a very young age, that to make people happy, one must suffer in return. In other words: _Her_ suffering was the key to _their_ happiness. Why couldn't everyone be happy with no sacrifices? Why does it have to be her? She was kept in the dark, she only did what was "best", she only obeyed.

 

Like the good girl she's always craved to be.

 

Besides, she didn't want to be a burden, and if…if this is what it costs, then that's alright. As long as there's a smile of satisfaction in return.

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

The devil, pale as ever, stared back, locking her crimson eyes on the opposite pair's, never blinking- not even once, not twitching; just standing there, in a staring contest the girl doubted she'd win, but continued anyways…it's not like she didn't have time- nobody would really be looking for her, not even Toriel, who doesn’t acknowledge her anymore.

 

The demon huffed, and slowly refilled her empty lungs with new, fresh oxygen before a low whisper escaped the cracked lips.

 

_"Stop playing. You know who you are."_

__________________

 

Chara took her time in the tub, an attempt to push those heavy thoughts aside…for now. Stepping out, she reached for the smallest bathrobe, _Asriel's._ The thought of having it on her skin again made her cheeks slightly flush, how odd- she's worn it many times before, why now of all times would she think of…him? In _that_ manner?

 

She shook her head and wrapped herself in the red robe, trying not to give it much thought, and ignoring the heated blush as she tied the belt around her tiny waist. This type of towel, it's magical. From what Toriel had told her- Before this phase of hers- it's fabric is made from a special type of fire magic. Its crafted for those with fur, as the heat dries it faster than it would normally in open air. Although it's pretty expensive, the quality is great as it is useful for furry monsters.

No wonder she was boiling on her first time wearing it. It was made to _heat._

 

With that information provided, she would dry in no time. Her eyes darted to the door. Bummer, she doesn't want to go out yet just to feel unwanted.

 

…

 

No. Stop, don't think about them. Happy thoughts. You lost your chance, now you must go and play.

 

She swallowed, her mouth moving in a manner as if she just gulped down something disgusting. Snail pie, for instance.

 

When the water drained, some soft pink blotches remained. She didn't need a reminder- she knew exactly what it was and immediately began scrubbing it off. The human didn't need to anger any more goats.

 

The girl's breath soon started to get heavy from both high temperature and fatigue, leading her to stand up stripping from the hot bathrobe and grab the shirtdress nearby; her daywear was in the dryer at the moment, probably ready by now and up in Asriel's room. She shuddered at the memory of her trip the laundry room. Very unpleasant, if she were to be honest. She met a scary old monster who worked there. Her voice was like a fork on chalkboard, and the way her long, thin claws curled made Chara fidget even if she were just a memory.

The woman had mistaken Chara for her helper "Nannette" or whatever, she probably has bad eyesight, and the thick glasses were a confirmation. Long story short, she took a longer than intended down the dimly lit room, playing the role of the so called "Nannette".

 

She…hoped she didn't mess up, if it were the case, well, Nannette is in for some big trouble.

 

Chara looked at her reflection once more. She was much brighter than before, although, she wished she could do something about the dark bags beneath her eyes. She leaned closer to the mirror and brought a finger under her eye and began to rub, hoping it were soot that could be removed. Yet it only resulted to her white skin to redden. She heaved a breath, both disappointed and discouraged before placing her hand on the doorknob.

 

…

 

…

 

_Turn…_

The girl trembled. What would await her outside? Toriel? Would she glare at her for what she had done to her husband? Could it be Asriel? Ready to punish her for the sake of his father? Would there…be news of the deceasing of Asgore? Or worse- finding him in front of her right now and snatch her by the neck-

 

_"This is revenge, **human**."_

She felt a cold shiver down her spine- she could literally _hear_ his menacing voice.

 

The girl dropped her head to stare at the tiled ground, sniffling. Whatever was behind that door, she must accept it. No matter what will happen, she'll have to bear for the worst and push forward…no more avoiding her fate…

 

…and find a solution herself instead of running away.

 

Her breathing came to a halt. Did she…? W-was this? Just now? No…

 

Blinking a few times, she lifted her head and eyed the doorway for a moment, then twisted her head back.

 

Oh, the knife. She shouldn't leave it there.

 

She tucked in her arm, away from the others' sight. It's a good thing that the sleeves of her shirt were baggy, but it felt really weird without wearing anything beneath it, especially her panties…

 

Nevertheless, she grabbed the doorknob, whispered a silent prayer before pushing the door open, gentle air hitting her whilst doing so, and appeared in front of…

 

…

 

She blinked, twice.

 

 

…nobody.

 

Huh. She was just being paranoid.

 

It didn't matter now, she's practically wearing nothing but the thin dress and it irritated to her the highest level. She'll just head down the hall to her room and retrieve her clothes as soon as possible, besides, she has a plan now and knows what she's doing. If they were still in the laundry room, then she'll have to make a trip there, even if it'll be nerve wrecking.

 

The infant was forced to learn her way around the palace ever since the Royal Family has been beaten down…she'd get lost sometimes and have a grumpy Asriel retrieve her, he'd sometimes even show her the way. It was odd that she felt a bit more comfortable asking the young prince than the strange servants for help though.

 

Speaking of which, Asgore didn't want the news of a human in the Underground, right? Well, it seems that some of the castle's inhabitants soon became aware of the "odd looking monster" most likely being human, which made her even more nervous stepping out of the Dreemurr's home. She even overheard one of them saying something about smelling different.

 

But that's only a few of them. Some- based on the conversations she's heard- didn't even know what a human even looked like, so she was probably safe. Getting on their bad side would be the end of her- she might be tortured all over again, taking her back to square one.

 

Her plan won't succeed if she was hated.

 

Yes, a _plan._ She has one.

 

…

 

First things first: panties. She feels naked in this state.

 

Excitement and uneasiness both built simultaneously with every step she made down the hallway, throwing her belongings in the drawer before picking up her newly dried clothes. The child hugged them, brushing her cheek on the warm cloth. It was such a foolish thing to enjoy-even _smile_ about, but, sometimes it's the smallest off things that just can't help but bring her joy in that very moment. It could last for a day, an hour, a minute, or even a few seconds, that small joy? It could really be a small miracle that'll make her slightly grin.

 

She should really get dressed right now, but that cozy warmth was just too much for her. It reminded her of a nice sunny day, the sunshine tickling her face, and her toes wriggling, the scent of cut grass soothing her as she slept on the lap of her dearest-

 

"So THAT'S where you were this morning!?" an angry Asriel stormed, making her body violently jerk "Hugging some goddamn clothes? Is that human culture or are you just so retarded that you do that as a hobby?" Chara attempted to stand but only scrambled away from him, wary of his next moves, panting deeply and shivering.

 

The prince huffed and chuckled "Either way, it's still stupid if ya ask me." Eyes half lidded, he looked down on her. Her body on the floor in a messy position, but she seemed quite stiff and probably ready sprint away or at least hold her arms out for defense. Her messy hair wasn't new, but he noticed the sweaty forehead.

 

He marched forward and knelt down to the human's level, she twitched a little as he brought his face closer…s-shit, his breath was all over her face now…her eyes dropped down, unable to look straight forward, it could make this situation even worse.

 

He was angry, for not being there just because he needs to see her in front of him, maybe even nag the living hell out of her. Mentally, she didn't consider him mature, he's more of a spoiled child wanting to be in control, but physically…

 

Asriel swiftly placed both paws on the sides of her face, cupping it. He had hit her with medium force, leaving her a bit dizzy before her vision became clear again and forcefully meet his gaze again, his breath hitting her face as well. Her eyes trailed down to his wide chest which slowly levitated as air spilled in, then shrink, and continuing the cycle. For a reason she could not explain, the more she stared, the deeper the imaginary pit in her stomach would grow, therefore leading her to quickly shift her gaze back to the thin pair of eyes.

 

The boy tusked "You never learn, do you, Pet?" she whimpered softly but his hands held her tighter, obviously becoming more enraged than before. The air around them was heavy, she really wanted to get away…especially when she felt the hem of her dress slowly slipping down.

 

Chara looked down, silently panicking- she didn't want to be exposed! Not her marks…those ugly marks, it'll be humiliating if anybody saw those, particularly Asriel, he'll tease her to death!

 

And in a matter of seconds, he grabbed both ears, allowing his claws dig from behind, pulling at the same time.

 

She yelped from the shock of anguish, but he kept pulling, even if she clasped her hands on his furry ones, digging her nails and squealing in union.

 

"Shut it! You're already annoying enough!" despite his warning, she tried to shake him off, nothing.

 

…physically, he's much more dominant.

 

She knows that screaming won't do much, nobody's coming for her, that's for sure. And she knows that it'll only make him more annoyed than before.

But…maybe that's what she needs. Maybe.

 

"You just _piss me off,_ " he growled "with that stupid face of yours, looking at me with those godforsaken _eyes_."

 

_W-what? Does he have an endless list of excuses? Just say you want a punching bag…I don't mind._

"That look," he growled before taking in a deep breath "That look of yours…as if you can do anything you want- as if you can… _surpass us._ "

 

She didn't know what he was rambling on about, and she didn't really care at the moment either, she just wanted him off of her, back to his own majestic world where he can rule or whatever.

 

"Don't ya know anything about this family?! About _me_? Or if ya want a history lesson, I'll give you one alright."

 

_B-brat…_

 

She cried harder as he continued to graze her skin, feeling something lukewarm trickling down her neck, her ears were now in hell, burning as her head spun. Yet, she screamed louder, not caring for whatever consequence awaits her. Although her throat throbbed she resumed anyways, holding on a little longer until Asriel ripped his hand from her ear and slapped it on her mouth and temporarily stopped clawing her other ear.

 

_Perfect._

 

"Would you shut your trap?!" he said, pressing his hand harder on her mouth as to muffle the sound, but that didn't stop her.

Abruptly, she took advantage of both hands to push off his hand- the one on her ear, while attempting to _bite_ the palm on her mouth. Yes, she doubted it would work, or even have impact on him, but it sure grossed him out enough. Along with a few pants before resuming her "singing".

 

Nevertheless, her meek arms continued to fight Asriel's thick, strong one, digging her nails onto his sweater and pushing him with every ounce of strength she has, if she had any in the first place. But even so, she refused this. She refused to be toyed by this dumbass.

 

_ She never liked pain, she wanted it _

_ to go _

_ away. _

__

It's odd…how she knows that she'll lose to his force, as he simply shoved her to hit the back of her head on the nightstand, where Mister Buns had fallen off , but her brows knit together and squeezed her eyes shut, nails sinking deeper into the fabric, transforming into a fist as adrenaline thumped through her veins, her ears becoming deaf to every sound around her, including Asriel's. She only heard one voice.

 

A voice she longed to hear.

 

With repowered energy, she banged her fist into the inner elbow. It wasn't that powerful, yet he jerked away, baffled by the sudden blow- but it didn’t end there.

With no time wasted, she immediately lifted her leg, bringing her knee to her small chest and charged right at his stomach, ignoring the scrunched up fabric that collected near her thigh, which she immediately pulls down with a bashful flush of pink tinted on her cheeks, watching the trembling prince clutching his stomach.

 

…

 

And he didn't speak.

 

As clumsy as Chara could be, she wasn't _that_ idiotic, as she had a few seconds to refuel her lungs with air, she snatched her clothes and ran out of the bedroom. destination? Most likely the bathroom. Again.

 

Well, at least it had a lock.

 

The girl wore her clothes rather quickly before leaning on the door with her back, then slowly sliding down to have a seat on the cool floor, maybe it'll make the burning sensation die down.

Her frail fingers ascended to her chest, right where her heart would be. She rest silent for a moment, feeling her heart still beat rapidly from the combat- if she were to call it so.

 

And she breathed. At her own pace. Her ears throbbed, and her throat was sore, but…

 

…She was alive.

 

After some peace and quiet, she pressed the side of her head on the door, taken aback when she didn't hear angry footsteps storming her way, but a small voice told her the coat was yet to be clear, and so she waited some more, until she heard some light patters…Not heading towards her direction, but somewhere else- the _exit_ perhaps, as the door was shut soundly.

 

More like banged, in all honesty.

 

She considered going back to the room, Asriel was most likely out, yet her hands were still trembling, unable to grab the knob. Great.

Her brows once again furrowed in frustration, clenching her hand into a fist before releasing it and finally standing and opened the door.

 

It was just as Chara predicted, the young prince wasn't in the room, nor the entire house. It was funny, to think she was getting some apology ready for him, maybe bearing a few smacks in the face…But he got angry and stormed out instead!

The human slowly walked up to her personal nightstand- where the scene occurred. Her eyes drooped, replaying the fight in her mind like a film, touching the raw injuries from behind her ear…What would have happened if she hadn't pushed him away? Accepted his abuse? Would…Would he kill her? He…Is a bit violent, but she doubted he would go as far as to literally _murder_ her; right?

 

That doesn't matter now- you are currently breathing. You are alive.

 

Lifting her head up high, she wiped away the sad frown, trying to curve it into a smile, but ended up with a straight line. Asriel's words…What did he mean by "that look"? Why is it bothering him so much?

 

…

 

Why is it bothering _her_ so much?

 

He's just another brat wanting to be on top. Don't mind him.

 

…

 

Since when did you care?

 

…

 

Oh. She forgot. She had something to do.

 

Chara hurried beside the toy chest, flinging the top open, not really caring for Asriel's parents- they would ignore her anyways…Well, for now.

She remembered, after cleaning the same chest for weeks, a ragged bag at the very bottom which the prince only used once- if not never- if she could recall correctly. The girl dug the pool of plush before huffing in fatigue and began to remove them by pile until she reached the bottom, the corners of her mouth peaked when she was greeted with the tan carrier. After bringing the new item out, she refilled the box with its belongings, and observed the bag.

It had a simple design, rectangular with a large brown zipper which still works perfectly fine, from the inside, it had a few small compartments for storing small items, such as the few gold coins that had dropped onto the floor. Without any hesitation, she grabbed all five of them, each had a different number engraved on top, most likely indicating its value. She stuffed them into her pocket, she'll be needing those. Other than the small holes, the bag itself was in decent shape, the strap too was sturdy enough for a long voyage.

 

She looked to her left, then her right, trying to listen to any noise that may be a sign of someone spying or creeping closer. Nothing. On her knees, she crawled towards the door's frame, peeking from both sides, out to the hallway.

 

…

 

No sound. No movement. As if she was all alone, maybe she was? Asgore wouldn't be able to get up anyways…While Toriel, she could either ignore her, or simply has gone out while she was bathing.

The thought of being here alone with the king sent shivers down her spine.

 

She shook her head. _Focus._

 

The money in her pocket…They may not be enough, she'll need more…But where would she find loose change in a tidy house?

 

Her eyes darted towards Asriel's desk. The one he'd always warn about even _looking_ at it, let alone touch it.

There was a big chance she won't find what she needed at the moment…But she could still find other useful things.

 

And so, she began searching the drawers one by one. In the second drawer, she found a couple of jars with some stationary within, the one that held pins had a coin worth _10G._

In the third, large drawer, she found a number of interesting things, like a freaking _wallet_ that belonged to a slime-looking monster. Asriel must've been planning on a prank- or riot- on someone, and as much as she refused to, she took a handful of coins, leaving a small amount in the wallet as an attempt to make her feel less guilty. Without counting the sum, she shoved them with the rest of her coins.

Digging in further, she found a small, thin notebook laying around along with a pen. she held the two objects closely before setting them aside, they'll come in handy too, maybe take notes on the Underground, or write down her experiences. Maybe even doodle if she's bored or practice Monster Alphabet for once.

She then came across something rather familiar. Pulling out the big book, her breath hitched.

 

_This was the binder Asriel used to frame that servant!_

And it was in her hands now. This was it.

 

**She's escaping this hell.**

 

Chara found herself panting, she brought a palm and wiped her sweaty forehead, this…This is too good to be true! Having this in her hands…she could look for an exit, even a certain shift…

 

_Nannette, perhaps?_

Chara flipped through the booklet, looking for anything useful for her escape, luckily, it wasn't in Monster, so she could easily read it. She found prints for the entire palace, which she sketched on her new notebook, with every labeling- especially the floors, there were tons of them- until her stomach growled. She set the book back to its proper place and hid all her belongings in her drawer (except for the bag, which fit perfectly flat beneath her mattress) and for the money, she placed them in a makeshift coin bag and pushed that beneath her nightstand. Nobody should be able to find them…For now.

 

The girl made herself a quick meal before she propped herself onto her bed, wanting to sleep early to begin her research first thing in the morning. _Or to simply avoid contact with the Dreemurrs._

She's gone over the map she drew earlier, circling every exit possible with a pen. The easiest exits were the one from the kitchen down below and the one in the laundry room, although she doubted the old lady would be easy to avoid…But she still isn't quite familiar with the Kitchen, being quite big and crowded. Though, if she thinks it this way: the Kitchen staff are most likely to go in or out for supplies- maybe she could tag along! If they accepted her…ugh. This is getting complicated. Too complicated. Was this another stupid idea of hers about to bring her to hell? She could easily ditch this plan…

 

…

 

She could go on living in this house, maybe get hit every here and then, but it's not like she wasn't used to it. At least she has food and shelter, who knows what lays behind the gates? She might not even survive! Heck, she _won't_ survive.

 

Face buried in her pillow, Chara groaned. It's always like this. She feels like the Grim Reaper, she tries to do what she thinks is right, only to be hated in return. How much shittier can she get?

 

…

 

_It doesn't really matter, huh?_

 

…

 

Well, if every decision she makes is another mistake, then…Why not go for it? Yeah, she'll risk an execution, she'll try and get out of this building- maybe even the whole _mountain_ if she can, she could discover the world beyond these walls. At least…it'll be a nice view and experience before she eventually dies.

 

Snuggling her plush rabbit, her lips curled into a small smile. She'll explore her options more tomorrow, then she'll take off a day or two afterwards.

 

 

_A new venture it is, then._

 

…

 

….

 

…..

 

……..

 

…………

 

………………….

 

 

…Her sobbing only got louder.

 

The woman threw her head atop the child's small lap, the nails digging into the soft flesh made the infant wince a little, but make no sound as she pet the adult's hair, an act of affection she herself adored.

 

"There, there," she whispered as her tiny hands moved to the woman's back, barely patting her.

 

The woman once again lifted her head up, still unable to look into the demon's piercing crimson gaze, sniffling "Chara…" she pronounced through hiccups "I'm so, so weak…none of this should've happened…" she couldn't keep her head up.

 

"I shouldn't do this to you," she wiped her nose with her wrist "yet…Here I am…A living disgrace." Chara only titled her head.

 

"You shouldn't have existed." she stated, bitterly "I should've known…But I'm too weak, even you can't imagine."

 

Young Chara couldn't stand her words- how could someone be weak by helping another? The "another" being her. She was Chara's hero, she loved it when she sang her favorite songs, let her sleep on her lap…Even if those moments didn't last for too long, they held a special place in her heart- _she_ held a special place in her heart. She wanted her to know that, but she just couldn't…Find the right words? Well…It has been a while since she last spoke…It was pretty painful too…

 

It was dead quite again, until the woman finished bandaging her, finally looking at her own daughter in the face "Hey, let's go outside, get some fresh air, what do you say?"

For the first time in several weeks, there was a bright gleam in Chara's eyes as she nodded multiple times in excitement, ignoring her aching feet even if they'll be walking a very long distance.

 

After wearing their light jackets- it was quite chilly at night- Chara zoomed to the wooden door, hopping lightly as she waited impatiently for her mother. It's been a while since they last took a stroll in the woods, she hoped they'll find fireflies like last time!

 

Peeking through the tight hallway, she observed her mother as she packed a lengthy rope in her tote bag, the child's brows arched in curiosity as she blurted out "Mooooooommy."

 

"Yes?"

 

"Why are we taking a rope?"

 

The mother paused halfway before she smiled gently, making the youngling blush. She knelt down, and opened her arms out, expecting a hug. Chara ran towards her, only stopping a few inches away to pounce on her, ignoring any pain on her limbs.

The woman ruffled the girl's auburn hair, quickly pecking her cheek before placing her forehead with Chara's, nuzzling her nose with hers "You know…That everything I do is for you, and only you, right, sweetie?" the child nodded hastily, receiving a low chuckle from her mother.

 

Oh how much hope she brought her. How much love she poured into her heart, even for after what she's done, but she forgives her nevertheless, because she couldn't imagine losing such sunshine from her life.

 

Until the fateful night where she witnessed her beloved's shadowed body dangling from a tree.

__

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like we got a peek at Chara's past, huh?
> 
> What do you think of Chara's plan? Will she succeed? Could she do better? (relax, she'd a kid lol) What do you think she'll find? What's up with Asriel??? Any predictions/Theories? TELL ME IN THE COMMENT SECTION BELOW! :D
> 
> Oh, and here's my Tumblr  
> https://nada-noodle.tumblr.com/

**Author's Note:**

> AAAAAAH, that's a great start, Tori!
> 
> Well, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, and I'm sorry if this is too sugar-coated! Yikes, that needs to be fixed! *pours relish in next chapter* there! ^u^
> 
> As for updates...I'm not too sure for my life has many lumps :/ so it's not accurate. But I'll try to schedule myself to make it every week, but until then, it's unstable.
> 
> For updates, questions, or you just want to stalk me, this is my Tumblr https://nada-noodle.tumblr.com/  
> Again, big thanks to Ember 'cause she was the reason the snail pie scene existed!
> 
> Anyways, comments are more than welcome! And tell me if you like the length of this chapter!
> 
> Have a nice day! ^3^


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